Take A Break
by Error- Username Not Found
Summary: It never surprised Haruhi anymore; she would either end the day by leaving first of the hosts, or she stuck around until the very end, practically on her own, all the cleaning detail dropped onto her shoulders. Of course, she was only practically on her own because there was always one other host that stayed after the motley crew left to get some work done.
1. Chapter 1

It never surprised Haruhi anymore; she would either end the day by leaving first of the hosts to avoid the crazed pleas of Tamaki and the twins to follow along in some outrageous request, or she stuck around until the very end, practically on her own, all the cleaning detail dropped onto her shoulders.

Of course, she was only _practically _on her own because there was always one other host that stayed behind after the motley crew left to work, insisting that, no matter how many times she offered to lock up, he liked to be the sole holder of the club room key (since Tamaki had misplaced and forgotten his own copy of it enough times to have had that privilege revoked), and that he didn't mind staying due to the quiet, undisturbed work environment that was left behind when the music room was near empty.

And so, more often than not, club activities ended with Haruhi cleaning tea sets and Kyoya sitting with his laptop. There was a sort of usual routine that had developed between the hosts through the silence.

One afternoon, Haruhi had been feeling fairly sluggish after a long night of studying and knew that cleaning would take quite a while longer at that point. Figuring that the caffeine would help, she decided to brew a pot of coffee rather than tea. It was one of the few times that she didn't touch the instant grinds despite the fact that she still wasn't all that familiar with the fancier beans yet, knowing that Kyoya, who _wasn't_ like their beloved president in his adoration of the "commoner" beverage and did not actually like it himself, may have appreciated the pick-me-up as well to get through the workload he had. He gladly accepted a cup.

Since then, whenever the after hours seem to stretch on for a while, Haruhi will brew a pot and, without having to ask, will bring Kyoya a cup as well, just as he liked it, refilling his portion when she noticed he'd finished it off. Sometimes she even sat across from him as she drank her own cup, mostly in comfortable silence, give or take a small conversation here and there. Usually it was about her debt, or perhaps he would suddenly ask for her opinion on a theme idea, or a possible upcoming event.

What _had_ surprised Haruhi was when Kyoya started to actually _ask_ her to sit with him. He never looked away from that computer of his for long, they didn't even always talk, but she came to realize that he associated her company as a welcome, although brief, distraction and mental break from work.

"Why don't you stop and take an actual break for once, senpai?" Haruhi suggested. "I know you value your work, and I do admire your tenacity, but wouldn't it go a lot more smoothly if you took a breather from time to time?"

"Haruhi," he began, not ceasing his rhythmic tapping away at the keyboard. "Time is money, and every minute is another step of progress. I'm not going to be the hare that sleeps, thinking I have time to rest on my laurels, allowing the tortoise to catch up." The glare of the bright screen light on his glasses' lens made it impossible to see his eyes.

"No, you're more like the driver in a race that refuses to take a pitstop because you're in the lead.. Your tires will wear out and everyone will pass you then anyway if you let that happen."

He said nothing, continuing to type away. He wouldn't have said it then, but she was right. Kyoya was already noticing that his hands ached a bit, eyes sore with an accompanying throb beginning to grow in his head. But there were still so many calculations to be made, messages and documents to be written and sent…

_**Snap.**_

The sound of his laptop being shut broke the silence; Haruhi kept her hand on it to keep him from opening it back up again as she looked him in his caught-off-guard eyes. It took only a second for his composure to return, however, and his usual wall was built once again.

"Haruhi, I would appreciate it if you-"

"No," she interrupted much to his surprise again. "Five minutes. At least that. Drink your coffee, which is probably cold by now so I'll get you a fresh cup if you want, I don't care, but five minutes without touching this is all I'm requesting of you."

"And since when do we hosts make the requests, hm?" he inquired with a brow raised.

She worried a little that the infamous "Shadow King" would come out just because she's dared to even touch his computer at all, but no, he was too tired for that. Perhaps if it had been one of the twins that had done so, the dark aura would have emerged, but no, not this time with her.

He sighed instead as he leaned back in his seat. "Fine," he complied, removing his glasses to tiredly rub his eyes and clean the seemingly spotless lenses. "But only five minutes. I can't afford more than that today seeing as to the fact that I have deadlines to meet."

Haruhi, not actually having expected her spontaneous action to actually work out, smiled at the black-haired host, who seemed to be far easier to read without the frames before his eyes, in her opinion.

As he looked down at the cloth and frame in his hand, she noticed just how long his lashes really were, how far his hair fell into his face. If she looked carefully enough, she could see that he was becoming ever-so-slightly worn looking, no doubt an effect of countless sleepless nights and stresses of working.

The young Ootori seemed more fierce without the wall to hide him, but also more human than "Shadow King".

Then again, with or without glasses, that dark aura was probably just as frightening to some. She laughed a bit at the thought of a certain blond senpai and red-headed twins cowering before a freshly awoken Kyoya.

"If you'd like a picture, we do have photo albums on sale, you know." His retort brought her back to her senses and she blushed lightly in embarrassment at the misunderstanding.

"Sorry, senpai, I didn't mean to stare or anything, I just sort of got distracted by my thoughts."

"Oh?" Kyoya set his glasses down on the table, deciding to give his eyes a longer break as he took hold of his cup of barely warm coffee. "You've got your three minutes left, so humor me."

Haruhi scratched the back of her head as she thought through her words, "Well, I mean, it's not because you're handsome or anything, not that you aren't, of course," she added the ending to avoid accidental insult along with the initial misunderstanding, "but because you're a lot easier to understand like this. You're more exposed, so reading your real intentions and gauging your reactions isn't so hard. I guess you could say that the mask is off."

Kyoya let out a quiet chuckle. "You make it sound as if you've never seen me without my glasses on, Haruhi. Or at least barely."

"Well, rarely, and not for long," she clarified.

A noticeable smirk found its way onto the boy's face as he looked over at her, a moderately mischievous air to his words as he then proceeded to remind her of a past moment. "The beach trip?" Haruhi could swear she noticed a small spark flicker in his eyes to go along with the short reminder.

"It certainly allowed me to almost immediately figure out your true intentions that night," she admitted. "I could see it in your eyes; there was no hint of maliciousness, just concern, mainly, behind the act."

His eyes narrowed as he crossed his arms, cup no longer in hand, not pointedly but thoughtfully (although Haruhi wondered if perhaps he'd just been squinting without his visual aid). "If you find me to be so easy to read, Haruhi, then do tell me what it is right now that you can see."

"Alright then," she agreed to his challenge. The girl leaned forward on the table a little, trying to get a good vantage point to really look into his onyx eyes. "You're tired. You're still itching to get back to work, but at the same time you seem pretty relaxed for a change. You don't really mind this break at all. In fact, you're enjoying it, so I know you aren't mad at me for making you take it. Am I right?"

Of course she was. But would he simply give her the victory? Of course not.

"Anything else?" he asked, unaware that he himself had begun to lean across the table a bit.

"Probably, but it's not like you're a book, Kyoya-senpai. I can't get all the words, just a big picture."

_Well, isn't that reassuring? _he thought. There were some things she didn't need to pick up on.

Like the way he didn't simply "welcome" her company, but wanted it, and the way he didn't simply take a break because he needed to, but because she wanted him to take it, among other little things that he himself was beginning to notice.

Like the fact that he was leaning towards her so casually now.

Swiftly he fixed his posture, deciding that it was a good time to get back to those calculations. The glasses went back on, and just like that, the wall was back. At least, he told himself that.

"Well, I do believe it's been _over_ five minutes, and as much as I have been intrigued by our conversation, I need to be getting back to what I was taking care of beforehand."

"Right," Haruhi sighed, expecting as much. "I'll stop interrupting now and let you get to it."

From that point on that afternoon it was the usual comfortable silence, aside from his "Thank you" as a response to her refilling his cup and their simple goodbyes when she finished up cleaning and decided to head home.

"And, Kyoya-senpai?" she paused before walking out the door.

"Yes?"

"Please at least _try_ to get some more rest? Don't work yourself to the bone. We all worry about you, y'know? At least, I know I can speak for myself, though I'm sure the others feel that way too."

At that, Kyoya _did_ stop to look at the "natural" host, and she saw one of those rare, genuine smiles that were reserved and only came out on occasion. It was small, but it was enough for her to understand the appreciation he wanted to convey, the assurance. She felt, not his cool demeanor, but his underlying warmth. "I apologize for worrying you, Haruhi. I promise to _try_ getting a bit more rest today, alright?"

At this, she smiled back at him happily. "Yeah, sounds good. Have a nice day, senpai."

"You too. See you tomorrow, Haruhi."

And with that, she left, leaving behind a Kyoya who couldn't focus quite as well as he had been earlier due to new thoughts bubbling up in his head, some old that had been long ignored and suppressed, all wanting his attention, to be analyzed.

One thing was for certain: he wouldn't be resting quite so easily that night either, and if not because of over-working himself, it would be because of his recurring thoughts of Haruhi.

* * *

**Hello, and thank you for reading! I honestly have no idea where this may go. If it looks like some of you guys are actually interested, I'll try to continue it, see where I can take this. Otherwise, I suppose this could be a one shot. IDK YET BUT HEY I LIKED IT :D**

**I wrote this in the middle of math class so ayyy, maybe more will come next time I'm supposed to be doing classwork xD**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this, and if you have suggestions/ideas as to where this could go, feel free to let me know! It could help my imagination wander enough to actually add on to this.**

**Man, it's been a while since I've written. I might pick up on some old, unfinished stories I have too. Huh.**

**WELP, have a good one! :)**

**-KC**


	2. Chapter 2

"Oh come on, we toned down on the frills-"

"-and it isn't even pink this time around!"

"Guys, how many times do I have to tell you? I'm not some kind of doll for you to play dress up with."

"_But Haruhi~! We made it just for you!"_

"No buts! You two shady twins leave my poor little girl alone!"

"_Sorry, she's too busy being our toy right now~"_

"For crying out loud, I'm _not_ a toy! Now let me go so that I can finish setting up for _your _guests."

"Ha! You see? My little girl doesn't even want to play with you two devil twins so-"

"Senpai, I'm not your daughter either."

"B-But- Haruhi…"

"Sorry Boss, looks like we're not the only ones getting blown off~"

"Yeah, but the difference is, she _always_ blows you off."

"_Poor Milord, the mushroom king~"_

"Great, more of a mess for me to clean up…"

Kyoya was used to this consistent banter that usually occurred on a daily basis. The twins tried dragging Haruhi into some game, she declined, Tamaki tried being the hero and also got rejected, then Haruhi takes the chance to escape while the twins turn and harass the club's king.

So why was it that today it was so much more difficult to block out the regular bickering, so easy to become irritated by the nonsense?

Oh, right, he hadn't gotten any decent sleep, plus he had a business meeting to attend with his father and brothers that night. The "dark aura" was barely being held at bay, and the club hadn't even opened for customers yet. These next hours would be long.

"Kyo-chan? You okay~?"

Kyoya adjusted his glasses, pushing them up further onto the bridge of his nose. Up went the polite smile. "Yes, I'm perfectly fine. Was there something you needed, Huni-senpai?"

The youthful-looking blond shook his head, nuzzling his beloved rabbit in his arms. "I was just a little worried; for a second there, you looked kinda angry. If you want any cake or something, just let me or Takashi know, 'kay~?"

The overly cheery Huni bounced off to his silent companion, all smiles, before Kyoya could say a word of protest.

_Am I really doing that poor a job keeping my calm façade today? No, Huni-senpai has always been unusually observant. It should be fine._

He brushed it off and continued with his accounting of the club's finances. Surely he could get through the day.

The time finally came for the doors to open up and welcome the ladies in, all of which spared no second to hurry off to their favorite hosts, eager to get a first turn with one of the young men, or Haruhi. This was when Kyoya _really_ had to make sure that façade didn't slip. The other members all knew well enough what the "Shadow King" was like, but he couldn't risk slipping in front of a customer and allowing profits to drop. Besides, he was the _cool_ host. Keeping the act up wasn't the hard part. Physically displaying just what they all wanted to see, saying what they all wanted to hear: that was simple. He just had to bear with the mental exhaustion of putting up with the mostly mind-numbing conversation.

On a normal day, he didn't really mind it at all, but on a day like this, where the vice president was running on fumes, he was exceptionally grateful to be more of a side host and manager than an actual entertainer.

"What do you think, Kyoya?"

"Hm?" he blinked, realizing that he'd zoned out. He didn't sit with the guests for long on the days that he did, but of course his mind had chosen that timing to wander off. "I'm sorry, Miss Shizaki. It seems my thoughts lead me away for a moment," he apologized with that signature smile of his to follow.

"O-Oh, it's quite alright, I was just saying that the changing of seasons is nice, n-no?" the girl smiled, a light blush coloring her cheeks. "The spring is so much nicer than winter..."

"I suppose so, although I don't mind the cold myself."

"Except when it comes to your coffee," someone added from behind him, offering him a cup. "But don't worry, it's fresh, Kyoya-senpai."

He knew without having to look just who it was from the first second they spoke. He couldn't help but smile a bit more honestly then. _I suppose Huni-senpai isn't the only one that's being observant._

"Oh, Haruhi~! It's so good to see you too!" one of the ladies sitting across from Kyoya grinned.

"The pleasure is all mine, ladies. And I brought you all a cup as well if you'd like some coffee. I know some aren't exactly fond of the instant grounds." She smiled kindly at them while in actuality, she knew it would have been rude to offer only Kyoya a drink, and she wasn't going to come by with the tray of the usual stuff knowing his preferences.

"You're so thoughtful, Haruhi~"

"Yes, won't you join us for a while?"

"Oh, having both you and Kyoya would be wonderful!"

The natural host bowed slightly while holding the now empty tray. "I'm really sorry, but I've got to go serve-"

"Haruhi," Kyoya interrupted her this time. "You can afford to sit for a minute or so. After all, you're being requested here." He gestured to the open space left on the wide seat.

She straightened up then and stood for a moment, blinking in confusion. She generally only ever served refreshments and sat with her regulars. But then it dawned on her. _Kyoya-senpai's worn out. Having me here would probably alleviate some of the stress and attention if I help out._

"I suppose I could sit for a little while," she agreed, setting herself down on one end of the couch Kyoya was seated upon.

"It's always lovely seeing how well you get along with all the other hosts, Haruhi. Whenever we sit with you, one of the others are always bound to stop by as well, just as you pop in on them," Shizaki noted giddily as the host settled in.

"That's true! It didn't take long at all for you all to warm up to each other, huh?" another girl agreed.

"I guess you're right," Haruhi nodded before chuckling a bit and adding, "Although we all do still drive each other crazy sometimes, I really value the friendships I've developed with the others."

Kyoya chided in from behind his coffee cup. "Haruhi has become a very important member of the club within the time he's been a host. One would almost think he's always been a part of the group, which is understandable, being the natural and such."

"Say, Haru-kun~?" The girl that spoke had a mischievous tone, which made Haruhi a bit hesitant to respond.

"Yeah?" she smiled politely.

"Speaking of types, since you really weren't always a host, do you mind my asking which type _you'd_ have preferred yourself as a guest~?"

The girls were all gushing from their thoughts at that.

"He'd have definitely liked the princely type like Tamaki!"

"No way, I think the wild type like Mori is more fitting… Although he _does_ seem rather close to the Hitachiin twins."

"Haruhi might even like the _cool_ type~" The girl glanced teasingly at Kyoya, who was actually rather amused at the turn of events and the blank look on Haruhi's face. Her skin grew faintly pink, even. He stifled a chuckle by downing more of that coffee in his hand.

She had no idea how to respond to this type of thing. Why did they all have to get their kicks from _this_ stuff?

"Er, I don't think that's really, ugh…" she couldn't think of a coherent response as the ladies all leaned in to listen attentively. "I-I mean, it's a little weird to think of it that way for me. I've never been a guest before, so there's no way for me to be sure, right?" She let out a little nervous laugh, hoping that would satisfy the crazed females.

"I guess that's true," one sighed.

"It's still cute that you got all flustered though!"

"Flustered? I wouldn't say _that…" _the female host disagreed, reaching up to feel the warmth of her cheek.

Kyoya, who'd been silent during this entire ordeal, received a secret dirty look from her for his lack of intervention. He pretended not to notice, but grinned into his cup nonetheless.

The rest of the club time went smoothly, full of light conversation and moderate teasing here and there as always, and the twins even somewhat behaved themselves the remainder of the day. It was after everyone was gone and the usual post-hours routine had come around that Kyoya had finally decided to voice his own curiosity from earlier that afternoon.

"Haruhi, I can't help but wonder something..."

"Oh? What's on your mind, senpai?"

He paused his typing and looked over at her with a jokingly innocent smile as he himself teasingly said, "I've just been wondering, what _would_ be your type if you were a guest?"

She almost dropped the tea saucer she'd been drying in her hands and stared at him with disbelief. "Why in the heck are you wondering about _that_?"

He shrugged before turning back to his laptop. "Curiosity killed the cat?"

She scoffed. "I don't care if the cat dies, I'm not answering that stupid question no matter who asks." She'd begun to mumble halfway through the statement, but he still heard it all.

"Your lack of definite response only fuels their imaginations, you know. It also leads me to assume that you do in fact have one, at least."

"Do not."

"You would have simply said so the first time then, without growing flustered, if that were truly the case." Kyoya then smirked slightly. "You're a terrible liar, Haruhi."

"Not everyone has a mask like you do, senpai," she retorted as she began packing up her things, having finished the tidying up. "I may be an awful liar, but I'm still not answering that question whether the guests, the twins, Mori-senpai, Huni-senpai, Tamaki-senpai, or even you ask, because I don't _need_ to. The cat can deal with being curious on its own."

Her stubbornness was always fairly impressive to him, as was the way she spoke to him without fear of repercussion. But he still refused to let her win.

"That's true, you don't need to. But I also have the right to make observations of my own." He adjusted his glasses as he spoke matter-of-factly, "It can't be the_ little devil_ type such as Hikaru or Kaoru because of how obviously annoyed you get by their antics. Huni-senpai is too much of an oddly younger sibling figure to you for it to be _lolita_. The _wild_ type is possible, although you wouldn't get much conversation from Mori-senpai. And so that really only leaves two options: the _princely_ type, and of course the _cool_ type."

_Of course that's the conclusion he'd come to… Damn his observational skills, _the petite host grimaced. It wasn't as if she'd thought long and hard about her "type", if she'd given it any thought at all, but she at least had an idea as to who she'd most likely decide to request should she have ever actually been a guest, not that she ever would have been.

He was correct, much to her irritation. The twins she got enough of in class and dealing with more of their mischief would be tiring, she wouldn't mind Mori-senpai but the thought of the accompanying constant sweets from Huni-senpai made her stomach ache, Tamaki-senpai would no doubt get incredibly worked up, resulting in her either having to clean up a pile of mushrooms or keep up with his wild fantasies, which was just as exhausting… leaving only one option. One option that would be peaceful and comfortable and intelligent and intriguing and-

"Have fun with your _"observations"_, senpai," she interrupted her own thought with the shake of her head, realizing that she may have begun to let it run a bit too far off. "I have tests to go home and study for."

The young Ootori didn't miss the fact that she hadn't told him he was wrong, his smirk growing as he knowingly returned his gaze to the screen that held valuable data full of calculations to be made. With that, he was satisfied and decided to leave her be… For the time being. "Do have a good day, Haruhi. And don't forget an umbrella on your way to school tomorrow. It seems it will likely rain in the morning."

With a sigh of relief, she gladly took the dismissal as she assured she had all her belongings. "Right, I'll keep that in mind." Haruhi couldn't help but smile even just a bit at the realization that he'd bothered mentioning that simple fact to her. "Thanks, senpai. See you tomorrow, and _please _try to get some rest this time..."

And once again the girl was gone.

This time, however, Kyoya had gained some information that he'd definitely been wanting to hear, and his once unsure thoughts about the secret princess were now solidifying.

* * *

**Hello again, everyone!**

**I was incredibly encouraged by all the wonderfully kind words and requests for more from you all. The reason it took so long to get back to this is because no matter what I wrote, I wasn't satisfied. Granted, I tend to write around 4a.m. at night/in the morning, (which is why I get fed up later when notice typos and such that slip through), but either way I just wasn't happy with most of the things I came up with. HOWEVER, I did have a bunch of blurps I really did like, and I figured I should share at least a few of them with you, right?**

**So eventually I actually wrote up some things I really did like, like this silly bit. :) **

**In fact, I'm just about done with the chapter after this one, so it will be VERY soon (either tonight or tomorrow-ish) that I will share that one as well! :D  
**

**Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it, if even a ****little~! ^_^**

**-KC**


	3. Chapter 3

_There, that should do for now,_ Kyoya sighed inwardly as he finished balancing the club's accounts, allowing himself to drop his pen onto the table and cast his attention away to the rest of the room rather than his notebook. _Only 4:30 and it's already this dark? I suppose that means the weather is turning for the worse._

He recalled then that a certain other host walked home everyday and thought that perhaps offering her a ride today wouldn't be a bad idea. That small umbrella of hers probably wouldn't help much if the rain really did hit before she made it to her apartment. She'd arrived that morning wet enough as is. Honestly, that girl needed to realize that the simple fact that you can get something for a bargain does not make it adequate, not even if it _barely_ "manages to keep your books dry" as she'd defended at the start of the day, claiming that was the important part.

After another glance out the window, seeing just how quickly the sky was dimming, he made up his mind. He wasn't really going to offer; she wouldn't be allowed to walk, _period_. Not with the risk of a storm on it's way. No, he'd threaten to increase her debt considerably if she declined him today.

It was then as he was about to close his computer when the first ominous rumble sounded and his hand paused at the sound of something crashing to the floor.

"Haruhi?" he called.

There was no response. With the next low rumble, he heard a hurried scuffle and the slamming of some cabinet door, he imagined.

Within a second and without a thought, he was up and rushing to the back room. "Haruhi, are you alright? What happened?"

A metal tray lay on the floor, more than likely the source of the earlier clatter. She must have dropped it in her surprise. _I should have noticed the sky earlier and insisted on taking her home way before now,_ he chided himself, looking over the room for a sign of the scholarship student.

"Haruhi, answer me; where are you?" He tried to keep his voice even and cool as always, although in actuality he was filling with honest concern and mild worry.

"S-Senpai?" a small voice stammered, sounding muffled. Another rumble sounded and he could hear her soft whimper. "I-I'm alright! Don't worry about it, I-I'll be fine!"

It was too late, he'd already approached the cupboard from which her voice seemed to come. "Haruhi, you clearly aren't _alright_. Wouldn't it be better if you weren't trapped and alone?"

"I-I can handle it like I always do. You don't n-need to waste your time."

Waste his time? How foolish could a top honor student like her be?

"Whether I _need_ to or not doesn't matter." Ignoring her insistence that he leave her be, Kyoya opened the cupboard anyway and found her curled up with her face buried in her arms. His voice softened at the sight as he added, "I refuse to idly stand by knowing that you're tucked away in a cabinet, afraid."

She didn't say anything, she was too busy trying to wait it all out, visibly quivering. Kyoya knelt down and reached out to her hesitantly. She almost jumped at his touch as his hand made contact with her hair, easily startled in this "defense" mode. Still, he kept it there and began to gently stroke her short locks, trying to soothe the frightened girl.

"It's okay, Haruhi. It'll pass over soon, you needn't worry," he assured.

Slowly, she peeked up at him through her teary eyes, not used to such a tone coming from him. She was beginning to actually feel a little less scared. Only a little. She was still rather terrified. "K-Kyoya-senpai, I'm-"

Another flash of lightening followed by thunder interrupted her and she once again hid her face in her arms, letting out another soft squeak with her eyes squeezed shut.

Not stopping to even consider his actions, Kyoya then pulled her towards him so that she was leaning against his torso, in his arms as he held her there comfortingly. It only took one more loud rumble for her to unfurl her own arms and cling to his uniform jacket. When she was this close, he could finally realize just how much she'd been shaking and his hold on her tightened slightly.

"It's moving quickly, don't you worry. Just a little more," he reassured, deciding to once again reach up and lightly brush through her brown hair. It was softer than he'd imagined it to be… Not that he'd imagined what it was like _before_… Or often. Perhaps he'd merely entertained his curiosity _once_… Or twice.

Unlike the first time, his touch didn't surprise her. In fact, he could have sworn that she'd relaxed ever so slightly in his arms then, and the quivering died down just a bit. "And… i-if it's longer?"

He smiled then, knowing what she tried to ask without actually speaking the question; she was far too independent, even in fear, to do so. _Will you still stay if lasts a lot longer?_

"Then I'll still be right here… I'm not going anywhere, Haruhi."

Coming from the reliable, yet oddly warm and kind "Shadow King", those words were exceptionally comforting.

_Here is the girl that doesn't hesitate to put the entire club in it's place and can fearlessly lecture my father, yet bring in some dark clouds and boisterous flashes… _The male host mused at the thought.

The two sat there for some time, her grip on his coat increasing temporarily with every clamorous crack of thunder, his arms holding her together as her shivers slowly seemed to die down with the storm. Neither thought of there being something awkward about the situation, neither thought twice about what they did; it was involuntary and natural. He felt the need to protect her, hating the fearful look that he'd originally found her with, and she was grateful for what seemed like a moderate safe haven from the raging outside.

They didn't even notice when the weather really had lightened up, so accustomed to the usual comfortable silence. They may have even nearly dozed off there with his mental exhaustion from over-working and her emotional exhaustion from braving the ruckus, if not for the bright rays of sunlight that once again broke through the clouds and poured through the window.

"Oh!" Haruhi, once again coming to her senses and no longer on the brink of falling asleep, quickly let go of him and sat up. "It finally passed."

"Mm-hm," Kyoya agreed as he himself blinked away the drowsiness that the rain had a knack for bringing him. "So it seems." He still hadn't removed his arms from around her small frame.

Now there was something different. With their regained alertness, a new, unfamiliar atmosphere hung in the quiet air, and it was fairly unsettling. Like having butterflies.

''…I don't get why you did, but… thank you for staying, Kyoya-senpai." She wasn't looking at him as she spoke. Her gaze was cast to the side, a bit downward.

The raven-haired host sighed and proceeded to lightly flick the girl before him on the forehead, causing her gaze to shoot back up as her hand flew to the spot.

"Hey! What was that f-"

"You're an idiot." When she then simply stared at him in confusion he shook his head and continued. "It's as if you don't remember the lessons you're taught, Haruhi. In this club, we're all rather important to one another. Worry is a common side-effect of having those that you cherish, and when it comes, you can't actually expect any of us to simply do nothing, can you?"

She sat there for a moment thinking over what he'd said and took a deep breath. He had a point. "…You're right," Haruhi nodded. She even let out a light, rueful laugh as she added, "That's a lesson I seem to have a hard time grasping, huh? I'm sorry for worrying you, senpai."

Her laugh faded however as his lack of response ensued.

The truth was, he didn't know what else to say. He was looking at her, the fresh rays of sunlight that seeped into the room and made her hair shine all the more, the once again calm expression that she wore far more well than the fear of only minutes prior, her warm chocolate eyes that had finally been able to comfortably rest on his again.

He knew he should have let her go by now, that he should have made it seem as if there was some form of ulterior motive or profit to explain his actions, but by this point he also knew that he simply didn't want to. He, Kyoya Ootori, the poster image of mental discipline and level mindedness, gave in to what he wanted for once in those seconds. Did he not earn at least a few?

Did he not deserve happiness in this regard himself?

_I'm only going to make it all worse. It's not as if we could ever… No. Father would never even consider allowing it, and Tamaki's feelings, however much an idiot he may be, would definitely suffer. Besides, it's not as if she'd ever want to get pulled any deeper into this world. She detests "rich bastards". I should stop while I'm ahead, I should forget about any of this and-_

"Why don't you just tell me what's wrong?" she abruptly broke the silence. As he'd fallen into his own head, she'd been watching him, trying to get a read when the sunlight didn't put a complete glare on his glasses' lenses.

"What makes you think something's wrong?" he countered, avoiding her question.

"Your face is what does. You look dazed one second, then miffed the next." She suddenly pointed to the lower center of his forehead. "You keep furrowing your eyebrows."

"I may be having some troubling thoughts as of late, but it's nothing I can't handle, Haruhi."

"Well yeah, I figured _that_, senpai, but that doesn't mean you should bottle everything."

"And you don't?"

She shrugged, "If I'm irritated, I don't exactly hide it. If I don't like something, I say so."

At this, the boy sighed, a breathy chuckle escaping him. "It's not that simple. The problem isn't that I dislike something, but quite the opposite, really."

This confused her. "Is it something that isn't good for you?"

_She makes it sound like I could be into something awful such as drugs,_ Kyoya internally mused. "Not particularly, no."

"Then what's the issue? If there's something you enjoy, and it causes no harm, I don't get why it would be troubling. It's perfectly fine to like things, you know."

She wasn't helping him decide to distance himself and forget all this merely shook his head in response. "Perhaps I'll explain to you why the matter is a bit more complicated another day, but for now it's best if some stones remain unturned." Finally he separated himself from the petite frame before him and Haruhi's face brightened a few shades as it dawned onto her that she had in fact still been so close to him that entire time. She accepted his hand as he offered to help her up as well and let go immediately after to brush herself off, once again exceptionally aware of his physical presence, perhaps more than ever before.

How odd it was that she hadn't been perturbed by her personal bubble being popped by him. Then again, her knowing Hikaru, Kaoru, Tamaki, and even Huni at times, may have been the reason behind her personal awareness declining in that regard.

Yeah, that had to be it.

The two parted soon after, Kyoya still insisting to escort her home in case the poor weather returned. The ride to her apartment was the usual quiet as they kept up the appearance to one another that everything was just as it always was, all the way up until goodbyes were said and Haruhi unlocked her home's door as Kyoya drove off.

But of course, that wasn't precisely the case.

Haruhi was confused and possibly unsettled by her _own_ potentially growing feelings for a certain other club member, but the Shadow King undeniably recognized _his_, both quite sure in their own mind that they couldn't dare mention such thoughts.

Not yet, at least.

* * *

**Hiya everybody!**

**Just to clarify, this chapter takes place some time after the last, but isn't immediate. Maybe a week or two later. Not all of them are consecutive days, ya know? They're all supposed to be little snippets of times they spend together, (Ky is the one that first gave me that idea in their review, so thank you~), meaning it's all gradual. Their feelings aren't building up within the matter of a few days. I think that would make them a bit too OOC.**

**It takes time to make the cold and clueless hosts get the feels, ya dig? xD**

**Anyway, I'm really sorry the this chapter wasn't posted as I said it would be; I managed to derp up and delete it, and since I was still in school at the time, I didn't have the chance to re-write it all, and this still isn't exactly as it was, which makes me sad since I feel like the first time was better. (Senior year was very hectic with all the AP tests and club activities and graduation and such.) ****But at last, it's summertime, which means time to write again!**

**Thank you everyone for reading, and for your patience, for those of you who've been waiting so kindly. Hope you enjoyed and that you like whatever I throw out next!**

**-KC **


	4. Chapter 4

"Kyoya! Kyoya, have you seen Haruhi anywhere?!"

"Tamaki, I have not seen her today yet. She should be here soon for club activities, however, so if you could keep your voice level controlled and calm down…"

"I can't help it, it's really important! I'm not trying to get her to dress up in a cute, girly outfit or anything this time, I swear!" The blond host exclaimed. He took a deep breath to gradually simmer down as his friend had instructed. "I need to talk to her about something before the guests arrive. And it's not something I can say around any of the other girls, so…"

Tamaki's tone had become rather even by the end of it. At that, Kyoya's attention was captured. He maintained his air of indifference, despite the fact that for some reason the pit of his stomach had a knot forming. _He couldn't have possibly… No, he's much too much an idiot to have realized his feelings for her on his own, I'm sure._

"What is it, Tamaki?" Kyoya asked as he turned to look over at the blond, brow raised, façade in perfect form. He knew Tamaki couldn't say no to him.

**...**

"One, two, three. One, two, three. One, two, three. One, two, three…"

After the guests had left, the clubroom had somehow become a dance class as the others all took turns trying to teach Haruhi how to really dance as a female following the lead. Of course, Tamaki had been dying for the opportunity since she'd joined the club, but the twins kept sweeping her away from him, Huni-senpai stealing her every so often, Mori-senpai intervening occasionally when it seemed Haruhi needed a rescue.

Kyoya had been oddly relieved when Tamaki revealed that he merely wanted to ask Haruhi to accompany him to a party that he was to attend with a companion, by order of his grandmother. She hadn't cared who, so long as they were well-mannered. There was another family to be in attendance that had been badgering her to allow their eldest daughter to marry her grandson, but she found them to be quite irritating, and so she'd told Tamaki to bring a fake date to deter them from any further hounding.

Kyoya was definitely relieved Tamaki hadn't been wanting to ask the club's newest host something else having to do with his still unrealized emotions.

_Even if he had, I should support him,_ the young Ootori surmised, trying to crush an odd, sickening feeling that formed in the pit of his stomach once again at the thought of having to do so.

He took that moment to look up and study his friends. Laughter sounded through the room, and even Haruhi, who had been fairly agitated originally at being the toy that was passed around, seemed to now be more comfortable, even letting a meek smile slip its way onto her lips as she went through one "instructor" after another. She knew they were trying to help in their own outrageous and clown-like ways, however unsuccessful at teaching they may be.

And then Tamaki had gotten his turn with Haruhi, his genuine prince-like charm turned toward her rather than that incessant "daddy" act of his, and he could see it; Kyoya could see the potential there, he could see the two together if Tamaki learned to look past the family act he'd created and understand what was really going on.

And he didn't like it.

With a grimace, he tried drowning out what was going on by focusing only on the work before him.

**...**

Even business e-mails and statistics couldn't capture all of his attention, but it caught enough that he hadn't noticed anything around him until the softest clatter caused him to barely look up from his notebook and he saw the cup before him, a familiar scent wafting up into the air.

Finally, he lifted his head to look around.

_When did they all leave?_

"They didn't wanna disturb you," someone said, as if they'd heard his unspoken question. "You seemed to be nearing your "Shadow King" form according to Hikaru and Kaoru, so they all figured it'd be best to leave you be instead of interrupting to say goodbye for the day."

"Did I really seem visibly upset?" Kyoya asked the natural host, who was busy gathering the dishes and such that remained throughout the room, as he reached for the fresh coffee now before him.

"Your dark aura was possibly poking its head out," Haruhi replied. "That's what they said, at least."

"They? I'm assuming you thought otherwise then?"

"At first I figured there was something wrong with whatever you were working on and you got frustrated, but after actually looking at you I'd say you seemed more…" She paused briefly as if debating on the right word to choose before finishing with, "…More _melancholy_ than angry."

At that he didn't respond, merely setting down his cup. She sighed as she carried the now-full tray of dishes and tableware towards the other room, knowing that asking him what was wrong wouldn't get him to say whatever was on his mind. _Pestering him about whatever it is will only make it worse. Maybe he'll talk later on…_

Noting his lack of answer, she continued. "You should've joined us, y'know? I kind of wish you did." She then let out a light little chuckle. "You'd probably be much more efficient when it comes to teaching me anything about that stuff. The others all get way too carried away."

"…Probably. And that's very true."

It was short, but at least he'd said something. The girl carried on, rolled up her sleeves and began washing, _trying_ not to worry too much.

Kyoya removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes in frustration. He was replaying the afternoon's events in his mind, the conversation he'd had with his friend, the lot of them laughing and twirling about… He knew that the best thing to do would be to distance himself from Haruhi, to let her go for Tamaki's sake and his father's. And who was to say that she'd even reciprocate his feelings? Yes, it was best to avoid the mess all-together. But then he recalled the many afternoons spent in each other's company, the time she'd stood up for him like no one else had, the way she spoke to him so fearlessly, yet how frail she became during a storm and how it'd felt to comfort her…

Thinking about any of it didn't make anything simpler.

However, his train of thought was broken when the soft sound of a waltz emanated through the room. The music was much quieter now than earlier when the entire club was clowning about, but it was definitely still audible.

The cool host once again put on his familiar frames and stood to investigate, quietly looking into the back room the melody floated from.

"One, two, three. One, two… No, no… One, two, three. One, two, three… That didn't seem right…"

He had to fight to keep from chuckling and causing the source of hilarity from discovering his whereabouts, and boy did he fight hard.

Haruhi was "practicing" what little the others had taught her, hands up as if she had a partner to follow, dishtowel thrown over her shoulder, sleeves still scrunched up. Her movements were clumsy and stiff as she unfamiliarly navigated through the steps. It was a rather comical attempt.

It was moments like these that kept him from being able to stay away.

"You know, you're doing it all wrong," he said matter-of-factly as he made his presence known.

Haruhi jumped, caught off guard, quickly brushing herself off and turning back to the dishes. "I didn't mean to disturb you, Kyoya-senpai. I thought the music was quiet enough; sorry about that." She wasn't one to get embarrassed easily, but he'd startled her, and being caught doing something like that when she was supposed to be cleaning didn't make it any better. Plus, it wasn't as if he were in a _good_ mood today…

The music was still playing, however, and Kyoya decided to put it to use.

"Miss Fujioka," he began. She'd turned and found him respectfully bowing, hand reaching towards her. "May I have the honor of a dance?"

She stood there blankly and blinked a few times. "…What?"

"At the party you'll be addressed with formality, and as a lady. You should get used to responding to such mannerisms. And lesson one when it comes to what you'll need to know in regards to the upcoming event?" The raven-haired boy then smiled rather slyly as he straightened up and took hold of her hand, leading her away from the dishes once again, closer to the center of the room. "Declining an Ootori's invitation is never a very good idea."

She replied with a light-hearted scoff as she followed along. "I think I understand lesson one."

"Good." Kyoya smiled. "The basics of dancing can be very simple so long as the lead knows what they're doing." He pulled her small frame towards him into the proper positioning as he began to instruct. "Fortunately for you, all party attendants should have a reasonable amount of formal dance experience."

"I doubt anyone will approach me anyway, considering the fact that I'm not exactly well known among you rich people."

"That's where you're wrong, Haruhi," he corrected, beginning the dance as he explained. "You'll be accompanying the heir to the _very_ well known Suoh company. Everyone will be rather curious about you, I'm sure."

"Well, if that's the case, wouldn't my attendance only cause rumors for Tamaki-senpai? Me being a commoner and all. Seems like it'll be troublesome for him." Haruhi was peering down, carefully watching the movements of her partner to avoid stepping on him, still not used to the female steps.

"Not necessarily. It isn't uncommon to accompany a business associate or some other acquaintance to such events. A few of the other hosts should also be in attendance with their families, so with us hanging around you and the fact that you're the accomplished honor student at Ouran making its way through the crowd, the assumption that you're simply there as a good friend met at the school can also be made."

"I guess you're right, and at least that means I won't be totally surrounded by people I don't know. I'm guessing you and your family will be-"

"Haruhi, do look up at the person you're dancing with. It's rude to stare at your feet the entire time," he interrupted.

"Right, sorry," she nodded, making herself lift her head towards him, avoiding the temptation to sneak peeks downwards.

"That's better. Now, as we were saying, a few from my family will in fact be in attendance; Tamaki's father and my own are actually rather friendly with one another. I believe the Huninozuka's and Morinozuka's should be there as well. The Hitachiin's won't be able to come, however, due to the party's date conflicting with their fashion show in Florence, Italy."

"The twins are going to Italy?"

"Yes, for a few days they'll b-" Kyoya was cut off as Haruhi accidentally stepped on his foot.

"Sorry! I'm really sorry about that, senpai," she immediately apologized, backing away.

He merely shook his head as he let out a soft chuckle and directed a smile at her. Not a host smile, but a genuine one, the kind he tended to let slip every so often with her. "You're learning, it's perfectly alright. A scuff or two in my school shoes aren't something to fret over, Haruhi." He then cleared his throat and held his hand out again, waiting for her to take it. "Now, come along and let's continue. You don't have much time to practice, so it's best if you get as much in as you can now."

A warm feeling enveloped her as she admired the true form of Kyoya Ootori, the real, kind-hearted boy that she's had the privilege of having revealed to her, not the cold, calculating person so many believe him to be. _I just don't get why he tries so hard to keep up the façade when being nice comes so naturally for him. _

"Thanks, Kyoya," she happily grinned at the dark-haired host, unintentionally dropping the usual honorific.

It pleased him far more than he dared admit, and he didn't point it out to her to keep her from correcting herself. _I can let it slip at least this once, right?_

Little did the two know as they gradually twirled about that a tall, silent figure had been peering into the room, and he'd noted the comfortable familiarity forming between them with a gentle smile.

"Takashi, I found my textbook! I left it over by the window before snack time with Usa-chan," Huni cheerily beamed up at his cousin. "Good thing the room's still unlocked! Wanna say hi to Haru-chan before she finishes cleaning up~?"

Mori merely shook his head "no" and held up a finger to his lips to signal that the small third year should be quiet, glancing at the door to the back room. "We shouldn't interrupt them, Mitsukuni."

"Eh~?" Curious, the small blond poked his own head in. "Oh, I get it~" A gleeful expression spread across his face as he realized what was going on, observing his two friends and how uncharacteristically open one of them seemed to be with the female host. "You're right, Takashi. Let's leave them be, we'll see them tomorrow."

"Yeah."

"How long do you think it'll be before Hika-chan or Kao-chan notice?"

"Hm…" Mori shrugged as they walked. "Not as long as Tamaki."

"Hehe, yeah, he's pretty clueless~" Huni agreed with a giggle. "Still… I'm kinda worried about how everyone will get along if things continue as they are with Kyo-chan and Haru-chan."

Mori patted his cousin's head comfortingly. "I'm sure everything will be fine, Mitsukuni."

"Yeah, we'll be here to help them along and keep the peace after all, right, Takashi~?" Huni once again grinned cheerily at his cousin.

"Yeah."

* * *

**Howdy everybody!**

**It took a while to write this one because I wanted to make sure there wasn't really any OOC-ness. I feel like I stuck pretty true to them. I mean, keeping in mind that Kyoya's feelings for Haruhi are affecting the way he acts around her, his walls have to be coming down at some points, and it's similar for Haruhi, although she's about as good at detecting her own feelings as Tamaki is xD**

**Anywho, hope you enjoyed as well! Thank you for reading and for all the support you guys have been showing; I really appreciate it, and there shall definitely be more to come! :) ****Have a great day!**

**-KC**


	5. Chapter 5

"Haruhi, that outfit is so lovely on you! Why don't you dress like this more often for Daddy, hmm~? Remind me to tell those Hitachiin boys that they did a wonderful job~!"

"Dad, calm down and try not to get used to it. I'm not gonna make letting them dress me up like some doll of theirs anymore of a habit than it already is for them during club activities."

Ranka pouted at his daughter's consistent lack of interest in cute attire, but still that didn't keep him from enjoying the rare sight of his little girl in such an extravagant, soft blue custom gown, complete with thin, white satin gloves long enough to reach her elbows, all courtesy of the red-headed twins. Not to mention that she was wearing a wig that resembled the long locks she once had before the horrid bubble-gum incident. Yes, he certainly was enjoying this. "Fine, fine, I'll leave you be to finish getting ready then," he smiled.

"I _am_ ready."

The elder of the Fujioka family paused and blinked, staring blankly at his daughter with the smile still on his face. He blinked again. "You're… _ready_?"

"Yeah?" Haruhi raised a brow. "Am I forgetting something?"

"Honestly, if my child is going to such a fancy event, she's going to be one of the most fabulous attendants there! Come, come, Haruhi~! Let daddy at least put your hair up in a twist or give you a nice braid~! Maybe just a small tinge of make-up as well? It wouldn't hurt, and I promise it wouldn't be much!"

The girl sighed, already knowing that walking in heels for the night, which she had admittedly practiced a bit when home alone to avoid looking like a tightrope walker while in them, would be uncomfortable enough. "I don't need it."

"Pretty please with sugar on top~?" Ranka batted his lashes at his beloved daughter with a puppy dog look.

_If he only knew how much like Tamaki-senpai he is, he probably wouldn't hate him so much,_ Haruhi mused internally whilst kicking herself for not being able to resist the same look from either of the two. _…I guess I can let him have his fun just this once. Besides, Hikaru and Kaoru would probably jump on me later if they found that I wore their design so "boringly"._ "Fine, but only a little. I already feel enough out of place as is."

"REALLY?!" Ranka had never been more excited, because never before had his little girl agreed to let him dress her up. "Just stay right there, I'll get my things!"

Sure enough, he'd returned with plenty of his cherished beauty products and giddily started playing with her hair and face; no one could ever doubt how much Haruhi loved her father if she was willing to go along with his makeover session. Some time later though, he announced gleefully that he was done, and after dragging her to the bathroom mirror, even she had to admit that she felt surprisingly pleased with the outcome and a tad more confident. Unlike her previous experiences, such as the time she was kidnapped by the Zuka club, he'd made everything rather subtle and natural looking. She was still herself, only minor little tweaks here and there made to add color to her cheeks, to bring out the natural brown of her eyes, to accentuate her already long lashes. She was still good old Haruhi Fujioka, without a fake, painted-on face, and she was grateful for that. Her father had even opted to merely pinning back a bit of her hair with one of her mother's silver hair clips, maintaining the "simple beauty" approach.

"I did a good job, no~?"

"Yeah, you did. It's not so bad, I actually don't mind this too much. And at least now the twins can't complain about me looking too plain."

"Silly girl," the elder Fujioka spoke lovingly. "You're exceptionally beautiful already as you are. I just made that even more obvious." Then, at that moment, the doorbell rang, and the proud, loving Ranka switched to defensive, protective Ranka within a millisecond. "Is it that _Suoh_ _boy_ already here to snatch away_ my _Haruhi?"

"Dad, be nice," Haruhi tried defending her poor blond friend who was in no doubt about to get a serious hounding from her father. "Tamaki-senpai is actually a really good person, give him a chance. Besides, he isn't trying to _snatch me away_. I'm just helping him out tonight, as a friend."

"…_I'd rather you helped a certain handsome, glasses wearing friend of yours instead_," he muttered under his breath, hoping she heard him as he strutted out of the bathroom towards the front door. Haruhi already knew of her father's preference toward the club's vice president though, so his words didn't surprise her in the slightest. _As if Kyoya-senpai would ask for my help for something like this, let alone for anything ever. Keep dreaming, Dad._

"Good evening, Ranka-san! You're looking as lovely as ever today!" a familiar voice greeted politely. His smile could practically be heard through his tone.

"Oh, don't you go trying to sweet talk me, mister."

"N-No! I'm not trying to- I was just-"

"Save it, and be sure not to try anything funny with _my _Haruhi, you hear? I expect her to be brought back home at a reasonable time."

"Of course! I promise to bring her back safe and sound and-"

"Dad, it'll be fine, no need to worry, okay?" Haruhi butted in as she entered the room, much to Tamaki's relief. "Besides, with Tamaki-senpai and the others there, I'll be safer than ever."

Ranka relaxed a bit at her words and sighed, laying off the innocent blond before him, who was currently a vibrant shade of red now that he'd actually gotten the chance to look at the girl before him.

"Haruhi, y-you look so pretty…"

"Are you implying that she _isn't_ always stunning?"

"N-No, Ranka-san of course not! Haruhi's always so cute, I just- I-"

"Alright, we're leaving. C'mon, senpai." Haruhi grabbed her clutch and the arm of her stammering escort before her father had him crying in the corner, growing mushrooms that she'd inevitably end up cleaning. She called over her shoulder as the two made their way out the door, "See you later tonight, dad!"

"Have fun! And tell the other boys I said hello~!" Ranka waved as he watched the two leave.

**…**

"…and we fully intend to move the project's operations to America by this spring."

"Seems like quite a stepping stone! I'll be sending my son that way rather soon to overlook contract negotiations with a new research facility we've decided to bring into the picture."

"Sounds like he'll be having his work cut out for him. Actually speaking of children, it seems I'll finally be having to plan a wedding. My eldest son has proposed to Shiharu Fujiyama."

"I heard! Congratulations on the new engagement."

"Yes, please give my dearest regards to the lovely couple."

Kyoya had been standing with his father and a few of his business associates for the past few minutes after being invited into the conversation by Kisuke Nakamura, who's daughter was also a student at Ouran. Of course, Kyoya wouldn't dream of declining and appearing impolite towards such an important Ootori partner, nor would he dare dismiss the chance to learn more about the happenings of his father's circle. It's never a bad idea to be well informed, after all. His father wouldn't say no if the others wished him to be there.

And so, Kyoya was smiling, remaining quiet unless spoken to or he felt it appropriate to comment on the conversation. His brothers were probably slightly peeved that they weren't asked to join, but that wasn't a concern of his.

_I see, so the Fujiyama and the Hado families are uniting. It's probably due to the severe decline of business they've both been experiencing. I suppose the marriage will definitely cushion the financial issue there. Meanwhile, Kaito Hayabusa will be heading to America… He's not very experienced; he hasn't even finished his first year of university. This new facility and the negotiations most likely aren't really as important as they want them to seem. Perhaps they w-_

And then his thoughts froze for a moment. He'd been sure to look every so often towards the entryway so that he'd catch whenever a person of interest arrived. At last it had been the Suohs that walked in, but they were not what had made the young Ootori's mind go blank. Next to his best friend, clad in his white, was perhaps the most awe-inspiring girl he'd ever laid eyes upon, her long, periwinkle dress accentuating her feminine frame as it gently hugged her torso, her brown locks flowing down her back, chocolate eyes taking in their surroundings as she was guided by the blond boy.

"Kyoya."

The raven-haired boy turned his attention to the one that had called his name. "Yes, father?"

"I'll be giving my regards to the chairman myself in a bit. Feel free, however, to say hello to Tamaki." Yoshio Ootori, careful not to appear too curious, studied the young woman that accompanied the men he'd spoken of. "I'm assuming that's that honor student, Haruhi Fujioka?"

"Yes, that's correct," Kyoya nodded. He continued, knowing his elder well enough to assume what unspoken question was passing through his mind. "She was asked to accompany Tamaki tonight as a means to fend off the rather persistent Tomatsu family's requests that he court their eldest daughter."

"I see… Hmph."

With that, the man said nothing more, giving the host the perfect opportunity to excuse himself and wonder about his father's interest in the natural host, his path set straight for the pair in white and blue. He didn't get very far, however, because another certain business partner had spotted him. _Of course, Umeda-san. His daughter is in the same class as Mori-senpai and Huni-senpai, if I'm not mistaken._

"Ah, if it isn't the young Kyoya Ootori! I do believe I've been hearing some wonderful things about you, my boy! Come, have you met my daughter?"

Mustering his patience and his hostly smile, Kyoya greeted the man cooly and found that the girl and a few others in accompaniment were there before he could even manage an escape. He couldn't just brush them off without seeming unsociable and standoffish. _This is going to be a long, long night._

Meanwhile, a very bewildered commoner girl, after already having to introduce herself countless times to people she had mostly no idea of, (well, Tamaki was the one introducing her while she smiled politely and said hello), had caught sight of the food table and wanted nothing more than to rush over and try every single thing she saw at least once. _Wow, those look almost too pretty to eat. Almost. And that has to be chocolate, I think? What's that flakey stuff on that over there? …Wait, are those flecks of GOLD on that cake? Damn rich people… Those look good… What even is that? Is that even fish? It's such an odd color…. And- Wait. What… Fancy tuna? I-Is it really? …Maybe I could just-_

"Thank you again for coming, Haruhi," her companion said, reigning her back in and allowing her to regain self-control over her thoughts and appetite. Tamaki smiled warmly as they walked away from the group they'd been conversing with only moments prior. "I know you're not very fond of these types of things, and I'm sorry for making you come, but I appreciate it, really. There's no one I'd rather have with me, to be honest."

"I don't mind, Tamaki-senpai, really. I can deal with this kind of stuff every once in a while if it's important to you guys." She then laughed as she went on, "I mean, I still don't think I'm the most qualified person to be here, but hey what are friends for, right? Plus, it's not as if I'm being made to entertain a bunch of girls the entire time. It's kinda weird being in the position of _guest_ for a change. _Maybe_ I'll even get to _try_ some of the dishes tonight." She really hoped he picked up the hint that she wanted fancy tuna. She never got any for goodness sake, and how many times had those boys promised she'd get to try some during club activities? She was definitely going to have some tonight, damn it.

The club king chuckled, "So that's it, huh? I knew it, you came just for the food!"

"H-Hey, I'm not _that_ much of a glutton…" she denied. There was no way she'd admit that that may have been partially true. Or more than partially.

"Look at you, you're definitely lying! You're so cute, Haruhi! I promise that tonight you'll get to try all sorts of things, and Daddy'll make sure you get as much fancy tuna you'd like~"

"How many times do I have to tell you, you're not my-"

"Haru-chan~! You look super cute!" The small Haninozuka bounced up in his light blue suit giddily. _Maybe it wasn't all that great an idea for Tama-chan to bring Haru-chan as his date if it ends up causing him to make lots of hamster homes in the corner. That sure was a close one~!_

"Yeah, you look nice."

"Oh, thanks Huni-senpai, Mori-senpai. I'm glad to see more familiar faces," Haruhi greeted with a friendly smile.

"Isn't she just adorable~?! Ah, our own secret princess~" Tamaki excitedly fawned, now in full tangent.

"You know Haru-chan, we should dance! You practiced lots, so it'd be a shame not to!"

The club's king excitedly clapped in agreement. "What a splendid idea, Huni-senpai!"

"Wait, now? But the foo-"

"Come on, Haru-chan, let's go~!" the small blond cheerily pulled her along, further away from the snack table.

Mori silently smiled as he watched the two go, thinking to himself that it was better she danced with his cousin before eating anything, knowing what the smaller host's idea of ballroom dancing was. She'd definitely appreciate being spun around furiously much more on an empty stomach.

And after only a few minutes, she realized that she _was_ in fact glad she'd yet to have eaten. Getting sick in front of everyone was probably not that great an idea. "S-Senpai, could we… slow down?"

"Isn't this fun~?!" the cake loving boy giggled, not having heard her as they danced wildly.

"Alright, alright, Daddy wants his turn!" Tamaki had grown fidgety and impatient after a handful of minutes had passed. Haruhi was rather grateful when he'd cut in, though. At least everything wasn't a blur now, and Tamaki was considerate and kept it simple as he lead, knowing she was still not that adept when it came to the art of dancing from a female perspective. She'd tried her best not to peek down at her feet as they moved along, as Kyoya had taught her.

_Actually, Kyoya-senpai's supposed to be here tonight too, right? I wonder where he is… I'd have thought he'd come approach us and say hi at least by now._

"Is something wrong, Haruhi?"

"Huh? Oh, no, not at all. I was just wondering, since the bunch of us have met up, where Kyoya-senpai was."

"Ah, yes, mon ami has probably been rather busy," Tamaki explained. "Events like these are very good opportunities to make connections and get ahead in the business world. You and I both know how observant he is, and with so many influential people here, he's probably been occupied with Ootori business. I'm sure he'll find us when he can though." The princely type shared one of his contagious smiles, able to answer confidently, knowing his friend so well.

As they danced happily however, the club's eldest members decided, not to _take things into their own hands_, but to merely help _nudge along_ a certain pair.

"Takashi, I've found him! Time to commence the operation~!"

"Mm."

As Mori went off to politely cut in for his own turn to dance with the natural type, the tiny blond bounded off towards Kyoya. The young Ootori had the look of a well versed host, but as a friend that saw him everyday, Huni could tell he didn't necessarily want to be there. _Phase one, rescue Kyo-chan!_

"Kyo-chan, there you are~!"

"Ah, Huni-senpai," Kyoya greeted. "How a-"

"No time to explain!" The smaller boy took the underclassman by the arm as he interrupted and threw a bright grin towards the group Kyoya had been surrounded by. "Sorry ladies, I'll have to steal Kyo-chan for a bit, but you all look super cute~!" The lolita took the girls' fawning as the perfect chance to pull Kyoya away and lead him back to the others.

"Haruhi."

"Hm?" The girl tilted her head curiously up at the third year. "What is it, Mori-senpai?"

"There's a balcony."

She raised a brow, waiting for the followup to his statement. "And…?"

"If you want to take a break from the party, there's a vacant balcony through those doors."

"Oh," she blinked. "Actually, that doesn't sound half bad… I mean, just a few minutes wouldn't hurt, right?" She thought of how long she'd already been socializing and compared it to how much longer the party probably was, along with the entire time she'd have to be stuck in those shoes, wearing that wig, being taunted by the food table just out of her reach… "Maybe I could even sneak out some tuna with me for a change…"

She mumbled that last statement to herself, but he'd heard clearly enough and smiled warmly, amused. "We'll bring you some."

Her cheeks were warm at being heard, but she followed him without protest as he gently guided her off the floor towards the double doors that held promise of fresh air, quiet, and potentially fancy tuna.

"Huni-senpai, may I ask what it is you're doing?" the glasses wearing host questioned. He wouldn't complain about being pulled away from the mind-numbing conversations he'd been stuck in, but he would definitely like to know what his elder was up to.

"You'll see! Just trust me, Kyo-chan, okay~?" He lead Kyoya to the edge of the dance floor, being sure to stand where his cousin would see the two. He waved his hand as high as he could the moment he caught sight of the tall, familiar frame. "Takashi, I got him~!"

The quiet host immediately turned toward the source of sound, making his way swiftly through the crowd of guests to them. Kyoya had no time to ask what was going on or to utter a simple greeting before a small plate was handed to him by the silent type. "You should take this to the balcony."

"What is…? Oh." At this point, after inspecting what he now held, it didn't take much for the shadow king to put one and two together. He fought back the small laugh that almost escaped him as he realized that the two older hosts were acting like a pair of matchmakers. Normally, something like this would be rather irritating, but considering the one they were helping him with, he wouldn't complain. _I suppose I can take this as a clear sign of support from these two. Tamaki and the twins on the other hand… That might take some work._

"We'll stand guard and make sure you two aren't interrupted!" Huni explained from atop Mori's back.

Kyoya nodded and gave the two a smile of gratitude. "I'll be taking care of this then, if you'll excuse me."

Quickly he walked in the direction that held the girl in blue, being sure to avoid accidental eye contact with anyone that would pull him into unwanted conversation, or even Tamaki, who no doubt would be a bundle of his usually excited self, full of non-stop dialogue as he recapped the day's events despite the fact that the two had spoken on the phone earlier that day and Kyoya had already heard most of what the blond would have to say.

After successfully making it to the doors without being stopped, the boy composed himself further, running his fingers back through his hair, clearing his throat and pushing up his glasses before quietly opening them. There she was, leaning forward over the railing that looked out over the estate garden, the natural light casting a glow upon her skin, the satin and silk of her ensemble, accentuating her frame. Haruhi had her eyes closed, enjoying the slight breeze and more peaceful surrounding. Music could still softly be heard, but her thoughts weren't drowned out by the many voices that accompanied being inside.

"I see Cinderella decided to leave the ball before midnight?"

"Hm?" She turned around to find a young man in a dark gray, almost black suit, his hair brushed back, his lenses giving off a small glint in the moonlight. He was handsome as always, which came as no surprise. She did surprise herself with how long she stood there admiring him, however, mentally kicking herself before greeting him with a smile. "Just taking a bit to catch my breath is all. Glad to finally run into you tonight, Kyoya-senpai."

And just like that, he was at ease. "I meant to find you and the others earlier, but there were a few setbacks."

"Tamaki-senpai said you would, you were just occupied with making connections and dealing with business stuff."

"He was right." Kyoya took a few steps closer to the girl. "Even so, I fully intended to spend at least a portion of the night making conversation that I actually enjoyed having. Not that I dislike business talk, but rather that the majority of it, at these sort of events at least, is grown men attempting to subtly prove that they have the bigger high horse, if you understand what I mean."

"I get it. Being stuck in a circle of people bragging about their fortunes to each other does seem pretty annoying. Heck, I've been stuck in a few of those conversations myself tonight." _Damn rich people… _Haruhi took on a joking tone as she continued. "Plus, I can imagine that plenty of them wanted to introduce you to their daughters, seeing as they probably also attend our school and you're a dashing young Ootori bachelor."

"That does get rather taxing as well," he sighed, not wanting to think of the fact that she probably didn't know just how true that really was, he was just going to enjoy the present company. As he leaned against the railing beside her, Kyoya held the small plate of sacred tuna in her direction. "I was told to bring this to you, by the way."

He'd be lying if he said he'd ever seen her more excited as she realized what was in his hand, although she quickly regained her composer, stubbornly trying to hide the fact that she could be such a glutton that gets overwhelmed simply by the sight of food. There was still a spark in her gaze though as she carefully eyed the dish. "Fancy… tuna?"

Moments passed as she stared at it, so of course he couldn't help but tease just a bit. "If you don't eat it, I will." He let out a small laugh as he watched her expression change the moment he dared come close to pulling the plate back toward himself and reached for the utensil laying on it.

"_Oh no_, I've had to wait _way_ too long for this chance to come up only for you to take it from me, buddy. I'm eating that stupid tuna and it's gonna be _great_," she said with determination as she began slipping off her right glove, as she'd learned was apparently proper etiquette. Without another second to spare she took her long awaited bite. He thought her eyes would tear up with the elation she seemed to have from finally getting to eat the long awaited ootoro. She even let out a soft giddy sound as she ate.

He'd continue lightly poking fun at her in a bit; for the moment he decided it best to simply let her enjoy what she'd so highly anticipated ever since joining the club months prior. In the meantime he enjoyed the break and let his mind idly wander as he observed their surroundings, taking in the scenery, the feel of the breeze and such. It wasn't until quite some time passed though that he realized she was staring at him, done with her treat for who knows how long.

"Is there something on my face, Haruhi? Or should I be bold enough to assume that you're admiring me?" he asked cooly, humor tinging his tone.

"You must be really comfortable right now, huh…" She stated as her response, rather than giving a straight answer. "You were humming along to the music."

"Was I?" he blinked. He hadn't realized it.

She nodded with a gentle smile. "I didn't mean to disrupt; it was nice. I've just never seen you so relaxed before, I guess."

"It's not difficult to feel at ease near you." He said the words before bothering to think them through, but he didn't regret them, because they were true and seemed harmless.

"Is it because you don't have to worry about maintaining an image around me?" she surmised. "I know the Ootori name must weigh a lot, and there's a bunch of standards that come with it that you're expected to meet, but I imagine me being a commoner kind of gives you a reason to let your hair down and not mind that stuff, since it's not like I'm from some influential family and you don't really have a reason to try to impress me. At least, you wouldn't get anything valuable out of it."

The boy in glasses sighed. "You gravely underestimate yourself, you know. Even if that's partly true, you're far too modest. If I've learned anything from Tamaki, as much as I hate to admit that, there are plenty of things that hold great value other than money or power, or anything of that sort. Friendship, companionship, trust… Those kinds of things aren't gained through façades and family names. _That_ I learned from Tamaki, from you…" Kyoya gently brushed a lock of hair from the girl's soft brown eyes as he spoke. After the thunderstorm incident had occurred between them two or so weeks back, he felt less hesitant and had grown more audacious. If it were even slightly less dim out, he would have noticed the hint of rouge grace her cheeks. "You hold a great deal of value, Miss Commoner, whether you realize that or not. And, by the way…" He then used his index finger to tilt her head up further toward him as he leaned down close to speak more softly, onyx piercing into chocolate as he captured her gaze. Her eyes were wide and her skin felt ticklish as he continued, "…You have a bit of rice on your cheek."

He didn't know how fast that petite frame of hers could move as she smacked the back of his head and quickly turned away, trying to subtly, yet furiously, scrub her face. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?!" Now she had her back to him, face bright red. She couldn't fathom why she felt embarrassed; it was only Kyoya-senpai after all, and the fact that he was chuckling a bit as he straightened out his glasses proved that he probably just said it to get a reaction out of her, but somehow her face was still warm, even with the night breeze rolling through.

_Am I getting sick or something? Ugh, maybe I should pick up some cold medicine tomorrow just in case. And besides that… what was I expecting?_

"I was only joking, Haruhi, there's nothing there," he confirmed her assumption. "You don't have to hide and wipe your face off."

She stubbornly crossed her arms and kept her back to him. Maybe it was childish, but if he was going to poke fun, she was going to play the difficult card. So, all she did was look back over her shoulder and stick her tongue out at him.

He raised a brow. "Oh? Are you posing a challenge?"

"Maybe."

"I do love challenges, you know."

"Mmhm."

"The least you could do is look at me."

"Make me."

He obliged, swiftly taking hold of her wrist and spinning her around, not at all roughly, which left Haruhi slightly disoriented. She had to reach her other hand out to take hold of his forearm to steady herself.

"I win, and easily enough at that."

The girl glared at him once stable. "I'll give you _this_ round, senpai."

"Ah, so there are more challenges to come? I do excitedly await to see what's in store," he smiled. She was playfully angry, which was adorable. "I do believe the winner should earn a prize, however."

At this she looked at him quizzically. "A prize? What did you want?"

As soon as he opened his mouth though, the french doors of the balcony burst open and a blond came rushing through, Huni and Mori trying to reign him back. "HARUHI, KYOYA, MON AMIS~!"

Kyoya's right brow began to twitch. The king's timing was impeccable. The vice president placed the now empty dish in his friend's hands as he'd broken free of his restraints and scurried to them, not sparing a moment to start walking away and tugging Haruhi along, leaving the sputtering club king behind. "Great timing, Tamaki. Take these away for Haruhi, will you? She and I haven't had a turn to dance. Thank you."

He spoke quickly, not giving the club's president a chance to respond before they were well on their way. Nothing against his best friend, but he wasn't quite ready to give up his quality time with the girl, and the blond was surely about to put an end to it, albeit not on purpose.

"Um, Kyoya-senpai, are we really gonna-"

"Dance? But of course. It's only fair I get a turn considering the fact that I instructed you."

"But I'm still not… Well…" She trailed off.

Kyoya raised a brow. "Are you forgetting what I taught you already?"

"Huh, no, no! I made sure not to look down at all with the others and-"

"Not that, Haruhi." As they reached the dance floor, he suavely brought her towards him into proper form, casting an alluring expression that would have rendered her unable to say no regardless when partnered with his smooth tone. "Declining an Ootori isn't a good idea."

She glanced to the side and mumbled under her breath, "Yeah, but wait until I step on you and we'll see if you still say that."

"You seem to be doing rather well simply following me, though," he remarked, sounding pleased.

She blinked, suddenly realizing that he was right, she hadn't at all been thinking about her movements, just the person before her. He gave her a twirl in that moment and she even let out a small laugh; she was actually enjoying herself, which satisfied him all the more.

As the pair danced and continued to appreciate the other's company, two influential patriarchs stood and watched while deep in conversation. "Ah, you know, Tamaki was the one to bring the girl here."

"Yes, that may be very true, but I do believe it's my son that she's dancing with now… And they seem to be having quite the time, wouldn't you agree?"

"Well, it's only fair since she spent time with all of their friends; he's just getting his turn."

"I wouldn't say that… Or did you not notice who it was that slipped away from the party for a short while?"

"Hm, even so, I wouldn't say that Kyoya's won. Tamaki has plenty of potential, he's just… not very quick on the draw."

"Yes, well, while your son is dillydallying about, mine is making considerable progress. I do believe that I'll be winning that bet of ours that we made after the Ouran fair."

"We'll see. I won't give up hope so easily; I still want Fujioka as my daughter-in-law."

"I'll wish you luck then; you just might need it." Yoshio Ootori smiled as he watched his youngest son, who seemed genuinely content with his companion. It wasn't often that you found someone who could stand up to the Ootori's, and although the young Fujioka had no benefit to them financially, you had to be blind not to see how her ability set her above the rest. She'd be able to challenge the young heir with her intelligence and bluntness, she'd bring a new mindset to the company… However he justified it, Yoshio would probably never admit that he'd just really taken a liking to her, her spunk.

"Yuzuru," Shizue Suoh suddenly appeared. "Tell Tamaki that we're leaving. I can't handle the insufferable Tomatsu patriarch anymore. I've grown far too vexed to wish to remain any longer."

"As you wish mother. I'll inform him at once."

"Don't worry about Fujioka," the Ootori interjected. "She seems to be having a good time, we can escort her home on your behalf."

"You don't need to-"

"Fine," the old woman waved off, already walking away.

As the woman left them, Yuzuru sighed. "You win for _now_, Yoshio, but don't assume you've won the battle."

"Ah, but my friend, I'm not thinking about the battle, I intend to win the war."

**…**

They didn't know how this turn of events had come to be, but Haruhi had found herself now in the hands of the Ootori's rather than the Suoh's. which seemed odd, but she supposed it was fine; something had come up and Tamaki's grandmother decided they were to leave early. Tamaki seemed rather distraught to leave his "daughter" behind, but Huni and Mori-senpai had insisted that she stay longer, promising to take her home, so she complied if only for them.

But it wasn't them she was currently alone in a limo with.

Kyoya's father had also at some point decided to leave ahead of him, apparently instructing him to personally escort the honor student home. The boy had no desire to oppose of course. And so, there they were in the darkness of the vehicle, soon to be arriving before the familiar apartment complex.

"Oh, we can stop here," Haruhi instructed as they reached little less than a block away from her home. "It always starts a commotion when you guys show up in front of the place. It's so late, I don't want to risk disturbing anyone."

"Ah, I understand," Kyoya nodded, instructing the chauffeur to stop. Haruhi looked confused when Kyoya began to unbuckle his own seatbelt and opened his car door.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going to walk you to your apartment, of course."

"You don't have to-"

He didn't bother waiting for her to finish her protests, instead opting to get out and go around to open her door himself, offering a hand to help her out. "It's late, I won't let you walk alone, even if only a short distance. Especially not when you're dressed so alluringly. Besides, your father would probably like to know who it is that's bringing you home at such an hour."

She accepted his help out of the car, then opted for the arm he offered her as they began to walk toward the apartments. "Well, thank you, Kyoya-senpai. I appreciate it."

As they reached the doorway, her father must've been waiting and heard their footsteps, because it wasn't a second before she reached the doorknob that it flew open and her father was there and ready to give Tamaki a hard time for bringing his little girl home little past midnight.

"ALRIGHT Y- Oh, hello Kyoya~!" It was amazing how, within a millisecond, Ranka grew from fuming to positively tickled at the sight of the Ootori boy linked arm in arm with his beloved daughter. "It's so very nice to see you, why don't you stay a bit? Don't mind me, take your time, I'll just go now, Haruhi tell me aaaaaaall about the dance later, okay? Great, okay, goodnight~!" And with that the door was quickly shut, leaving the two bewildered teens blinking after the fawning Ranka had disappeared almost as quickly as he'd shown up.

"It always amazes me how much he likes you," Haruhi sighed. "Honestly, you could probably kill someone and he'd still adore you."

Kyoya chuckled, "You don't have to worry about me committing murder anytime soon, but it's nice to know that I'm in his good graces and he thinks so highly of me."

"Yeah, but it can get a little out of hand," she muttered, thinking of all the little side comments her father would make about his preference of Kyoya over the others, especially Tamaki. "But anyway, it's probably too late for me to invite you in for tea or anything, but surprisingly I did really end up enjoying tonight with you guys, so thank you. It was fun," she smiled warmly.

"I'm sure the others will love to hear that you enjoyed yourself almost as much as I do," he returned the smile, taking hold of only her hand as he brought it up to his lips. "You looked lovely, and I also enjoyed this evening, although I'm certain it was the company that made it so pleasurable."

The girl was wide-eyed as she watched him gently brush his lips across the back of her hand. This she was used to from the club king, but Kyoya? She wasn't expecting this from him.

She cleared her throat and hoped she didn't look or sound like the bright red idiot she felt like in that moment, "E-Er, right… Well I suppose this is goodnight, so goodnight Kyoya-senpai."

He gave her a playful smile, a mischievous twinkle in his eye. "Goodnight, Haruhi. I'll see you Monday."

"Y-Yeah…" she nodded.

As they said their goodbyes and Kyoya walked back to his limousine, a newly rekindled hope burned in the back of his mind. Judging by her reactions to him, Haruhi Fujioka may not be as far out of his reach as he'd thought.

* * *

**I'M ALIVE, I PROMISE!**

**College and work have been a thing, so I haven't had the drive or time to write, and I've had most of this chapter done for such a long time, I'd just never been able to finish it... I'm still not completely satisfied with it, because I worry I didn't write it in a way that properly conveys how it plays out in my head, but I figured that while I have time, I should just do my best so you guys don't end up waiting another year. .-.**

**I feel like sorry isn't enough for making you guys wait so long, but I do want to apologize ;-; I haven't forgotten about this story, I've just been overwhelmed, because that's life, stuff happens. BUT, it's summer! I still have work and school, but I at least have a little less on my shoulders, so I'll try my best to write more while I can. I won't promise when anything will go up though, because I don't want to end up disappointing you guys :/**

**I like to think that I stayed pretty in character with this chapter. At least, I'm trying, keeping in mind that people act differently when they're falling in love~ **

**Anyways, thank you so very much to those that have kept up with this story and haven't forgotten about it! Your support is incredibly appreciated. I hope you enjoyed this decently lengthy chapter. At least you can rest easy knowing that I have a bunch of ideas and such for the next few chapters. I just need to write while I'm not drowning in school :D**

**Once again, thank you so much for reading and for your patience. It's not over yet, promise, and I hope you liked it. I'll try to get better and better, if only for you guys! :)**

**-KC**


	6. Chapter 6

**_Plop_.**

_Just ignore them and they'll get bored._

**_Plop._**

_That or they'll run out of paper to throw._

One of the redheaded twins pulled out an entire notebook now, full of fresh ammunition.

"_Earth to Haruhi_," they both called in hushed voices since they were in class.

**_Plop. Plop. Plop. Plop._**

The girl sighed as more paper balls bounced off her desk and torso, onto the floor, wondering how their teacher had yet noticed the accumulating pile beneath her

Normally she'd snap and tell them off for acting like a couple of three year olds, but she didn't have the energy for that today, and they'd noticed. She already knew what they'd ask. She mustn't have done well enough hiding the fact that she'd been feeling down as of late when she told them she'd rather have lunch alone in the clubroom earlier, rather than join the other club members in the cafeteria. Now the twins wouldn't stop pestering her, asking what was up.

She didn't want to talk about it, about the date that was coming up, about why her calendar had a red circle around tomorrow. She got like this every year when it came up, and she just didn't have the energy to deal with explaining herself. She didn't even know if she'd be able to hide it from the guests during club hours; she just felt heavy, depressed, and tired.

Hikaru and Kaoru glanced at one another, then back at the slumped figure in the desk between them, simultaneously deciding that maybe they _should_ leave her be for now, although their worry wasn't at all alleviated.

**…**

_2:20… I guess I should hurry over to the clubroom then. Maybe if I don't have too many requests, I can ask them to just let me handle snacks today, _Haruhi thought to herself as she gathered her things from the spot she'd taken in the library. Her best option to avoid the twins dragging her over to the music room as soon as class was let out was using the excuse that she'd needed to study for a bit and had to check-out a book or two. They didn't push her then. _2:25. Ugh, if I'm late I'll never hear the end of it._

She slightly quickened her pace as she headed out down the hall towards the others. When she was close, she could hear the girls gathering in the hall outside Music Room #3, waiting for the doors to open for them to enter.

"Um, excuse me ladies," Haruhi spoke up. "May I pass through?"

"Oh, Haruhi-kun! Please excuse us!"

"Go right ahead, Haruhi~"

"Thank you, ladies," she replied, trying her best to muster a polite smile.

The brunette cut through the throng of giggling girls, slipping in through the doors.

"HARUHI, THERE YOU ARE! DADDY WAS SO WORRIED YOU WEREN'T COMING!"

The female host was quickly pulled to the side by a pair of mischievous hosts, causing the club's king to run into the wall rather than her. "Of course I was, I'm only late by a minute, senpai."

"Yeah, we told Milord that you were gonna be in the library before doors opened-"

"-But he was ready to send out search parties for you the moment the clock hit 2:30."

"Sorry I didn't make it sooner, I don't know where the time went," the girl grimaced.

"I'm just… glad… you made it…" Tamaki squeaked out from the floor, crumpled up where everyone had left him. He'd bounce up on his own eventually.

"Haru-chan, are you okay?" the tiny blond host inquired, giving his bunny a squeeze from atop Mori's shoulders.

"You do seem out-of-sorts," Kyoya agreed, looking up from that black notebook of his. "Something troubling you?"

She shrugged off the arms that were around her shoulders. "I'm fine, alright? I"m just tired. Can everyone stop asking now?" She trudged off to the back room where snacks and drinks were usually prepared.

_I know they're just concerned, Mom, but I just don't feel like talking… I'll apologize later for brushing them off._

Some time later, in the middle of her placing sandwiches on trays, there was a knock on the doorframe, alerting her that someone was entering. She didn't have to look over her shoulder to guess who it was. No doubt the others were all busy by now greeting their usual guests.

"If you're going to add that minute to my debt, senpai, that's pretty stingy of you," she grumbled sarcastically.

"Not at all, it's hardly worth the time to calculate such a minuscule amount, even if I would find it a bit humorous, admittedly." When she didn't respond, Kyoya cleared his throat and continued. "…Haruhi, if you need to talk about anything, you can."

At this she paused. "…I know. But it's nothing you guys need to worry about."

"Well, I did promise your father when you joined the club that I'd watch over you, after all," he playfully pointed out, trying to lighten the mood, if only a little.

"Yeah, well, it's not like you actually have to." She continued her work.

He watched her with onyx eyes for only a minute before taking the clean drying rag off the counter and tossing it onto her head, snapping her out of her working daze.

"Hey! What was that f-"

"Go home." He interrupted, walking out of the back room. "You aren't fit to host with that somber atmosphere clinging to you. Go home and get some rest."

She tossed the rag back onto the counter, but he'd already left, and it was only her once again in the room.

_I guess I'll also have to apologize to the guests, and thank him later for letting me leave early._

**…**

"Kyoya, where's Haruhi?! She's missing!" The blond second year was frantic, looking all over for his beloved daughter.

Kyoya didn't bother looking up from his laptop. Fortunately, Tamaki had waited for after the guests had left to go on a frenzy. "She's not missing, I sent her home, Tamaki. She wasn't feeling well."

"She's _sick_?! Mori-senpai, Huni-senpai, you get the ingredients for chicken noodle soup! Hikaru, Kaoru, you get some cold medicine, I'll go do some research on commoner remedies, Kyoya you send a doctor! We'll go straight over there after clu-"

"Tamaki, she just needs some rest. Leave her alone for now," the cool host sighed.

"But- But- She _needs_ me! I'm her father, I have to take care of her! Maybe she'll want my teddy to cuddle!"

"_Seeing you would only make her feel worse," _the twins disagreed, shoving the king's beloved bear into his face to quiet him.

He tried to protest, but everything he said was unintelligible through the toy.

"Haru-chan probably just needs some alone time. We should give her some space, right, Takashi~"

Mori nodded, "Yeah."

Tamaki at last broke free from the twins and the three began to wrestle, Mori prying them apart as Huni hopped down off the other third year to see if there was any cake left.

Kyoya wasn't paying them any mind at this point. Instead, he'd been overlooking recent test scores for a certain first year.

_Her grades have been perfectly fine, so I doubt she's stressed about slipping and losing her position as first in class, meaning it isn't her scholarship that's worrying her. She doesn't seem sick since she'd been eating as normal the last few days, although she has seemed more tired. We haven't done anything excessive in the club recently, so I somehow doubt we've gotten on her nerves as of late… Is her father alright? I last spoke with him over a week ago, but perhaps something happened?_

The raven-haired boy was mulling over all the possibilities as to why the brunette may have been upset. _I suppose I'll give him a call later today. Either he can tell me what's going on, or he'd like to hear about how she's been._

He made a mental note to call the elder Fujioka that night, when he didn't need to worry about the others causing a racket in the background.

**…**

She'd managed to get out of bed the following morning, she made herself take a shower and get dressed, she even managed to have something small for breakfast before sitting before her mother's shrine.

Ranka had work today since he couldn't get the day off as he usually did, and so he couldn't go with his daughter to visit Kotoko's grave. Instead he'd have to visit on his way home later on. This meant that it was Haruhi's first year visiting her mother alone on her anniversary. Or being alone at all on this day, really; she and her father had always spent it together. This made the day all the more upsetting.

There was a knock on the door then that startled her. Quickly she wiped at her eyes, making sure she looked decent. It was probably just their neighbor, Mrs. Mokoto, a little old woman who sometimes gave Haruhi money to pick up something she'd forgotten from the store whenever she went out to do groceries, since walking so much was a hassle for the poor woman.

Or maybe it was her father, home early from work because they ended up giving him the rest of the day off, and he'd forgotten his keys. Again.

"Coming!" She assured as she approached the entryway.

"Haruhi," a voice greeted as she opened the door. It wasn't, however, either of the two she'd been expecting.

"Kyoya-senpai? What are you…?" her voice trailed, confused.

"I noticed your fairly solemn behavior increase these last few days, so I decided to investigate what may be the issue."

She blinked a few times to register what he was saying, finally noticing that in his hand was a bouquet of flowers.

"Pardon my prying, but I know what today is, Haruhi. I came by to check in on you and pay my respects to your family, your mother…"

The girl was at a loss. She refused to tell the rest of the club why she'd been down during this week because today was the anniversary of her mother's death, a day she didn't want to have to handle them because she knew at least a few of them would insist on spending the day with her, and it would just be too much to deal with today.

But there he was alone, with flowers in hand, not another person in sight. She poked her head out of the apartment, looking around to make sure the others weren't hiding.

"It's only me today, I assure you," Kyoya smiled ever-so-slightly, knowing exactly what, or who, she must've been looking for. "I didn't mention anything to the others; I figured that they might be a bit overwhelming."

"So you came on your own?"

He nodded. "I ended up calling your father to find out more about what may have been wrong, and he explained everything, including how he was upset that he couldn't accompany you today." Kyoya noticed that her eyes were a little red already, that she looked more tired than the previous day. "Is it alright if I go with you instead? To visit your mother, I mean. You've never gone alone, have you?"

"I'll be fine, you don't need to feel obligated to or anything," she waved her hand dismissively.

"I don't feel obligated, Haruhi, I want to." He looked her earnestly in the eyes. There was no way he was letting her go alone, independent personality of not.

She broke the gaze, glancing instead at the flowers. "I'm guessing Dad also told you that lilies were her favorite?" At last she allowed a small, warm smile to grace her lips and opened the door further. "You can come in if you'd like."

The boy entered then, setting the flowers down after properly putting up his coat and shoes.

"Her shrine is over here if you'd like to take a look. I'll just need a minute to finish getting my things together and we can head out to visit her." Haruhi explained, heading back to her room.

The young Ootori took that time to indeed kneel before the photo of Kotoko, taking hold of the frame carefully, noticing the similar facial features between her and Haruhi. "Hello, Fujioka-sama. Have you been resting well? You have quite an amazing daughter, you know. I'm sure she must make you very proud…" He gently placed the picture back where it belonged. "Thank you for allowing us, allowing me, the honor of getting to know her." A thought crossed his mind then. "I wonder… Would you approve of me?"

He knew he wouldn't get an answer, but he felt compelled to ask. After all, he already knew Ranka liked him very much, but he imagined that the approval of Kotoko, another person that Haruhi cherishes, would be very comforting.

"Alright, I'm ready to go," the natural host declared, popping into the room.

"Sounds good, I was just saying hello," Kyoya replied, gesturing to the shrine.

Haruhi smiled, "I"m sure she appreciates the company."

"Mmhm," he agreed as he stood once again. "Shall we, then?"

The two began their trip to the cemetery, Haruhi having declined Kyoya's offer to have them driven, stating that it was close enough to walk, and really she'd rather do that.

She held the bouquet in her arms, seeming lost in thought the further along they made it. The raven-haired boy decided not to disrupt her reverie. So badly he wanted to place an arm around her as they walked, to take her hand, but he held firm and let her be, acting as a quiet companion, knowing that now was not yet the time to console her, recalling the end of his phone call with Ranka the day prior.

_"My poor little girl, all alone on such a dreary day. Oh, how will she manage? She's so independent and stubborn, she'd never admit she was lonely! How will my darling little Haruhi be without someone there to pull her close and let her cry on their shoulder? Without a young man- I MEAN her father to dry her precious eyes?! Oh woe is me, I hate to think of her all alone tomorrow. By herself. Crying… Alone."_

_Kyoya was amused by the elder Fujioka's clear attempt at hinting what he wanted. "Would you like me to check in on her, Ranka-san?"_

_"OH KYOYA, I couldn't possibly ask that of you!" Ranka replied, feigned surprise in his tone. "But, if you insist~!"_

_"I'll stop by early in the day then."_

_Ranka was suddenly very ecstatic, his words coming quickly. "Well that sounds wonderful, truly wonderful; you two spend as much time together as you'd like- I mean, as she needs. I'll be going now, lots of work to do! Bye-bye~!"_

Kyoya stifled a chuckle, the cross-dressing parent's motives rather blatant.

"This is it," Haruhi's soft voice chimed, bringing his attention back to the moment. They walked through the cemetery, through the rows of names, looking for the place where Kotoko Fujioka's was. The place was well kept, her stone cleaned, leaves swept away, incense already burning. "The caretakers must've come by earlier to tidy up. They know dad and I always come to visit."

"That was very kind of them," Kyoya noted, kneeling down with the girl to pay their respects.

"Yeah…" Haruhi gently laid the bouquet down before her mother's stone and smiled ever so slightly. "Hey mom, I brought a friend to see you today. This is Kyoya Ootori. He got you some lilies, your favorite."

"I hope you like them," he added, admiring the petals that faintly swayed in the breeze.

"I'm sure she does," Haruhi reassured. She let out a soft laugh, "She'd probably like you guys a lot, too. She was really lively, you know. Always smiling and laughing. She'd probably think the others are hilarious."

"Well, your father seems to like us for the most part, aside from Tamaki, of course."

"Yeah, well, he more than likes you."

"That's a bit hard not to notice," Kyoya joked lightly.

It was after a few more moments of silence, Haruhi had been looking down, her hair hiding her face. That's when the older host noticed droplets hitting the pavement beneath her, and he couldn't refrain any longer; Kyoya placed his arms around the small frame next to him and pulled her in, her head at his shoulder. "You can cry in front of me, it's okay, I'm here, Haruhi."

That was it, that was all she needed to hear, and the dam broke. Tears began streaming down her face and she quietly nestled closer against him, clinging to the young man consoling her. This wasn't like the time he comforted her during the thunder storm; this time she didn't shiver and cry in fear, because this time it was sorrow. "I miss her… so much…"

"I know…" He stroked the back of her head, fingers through her hair, trying to soothe her. He couldn't imagine this poor girl coming alone, trying to put on a brave front, knowing how hurt she was. "I'm sure she'd be very proud of who you've grown into."

Minutes passed with the two in silent embrace, Kyoya tenderly calming her, rubbing her back, letting her weep. When her sobbing had subsided, he pulled away a bit to bring his thumbs under her eyes, wiping away the last of the droplets.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cry like that in front of you…" she apologized, looking sidelong, away from him. She was probably a little embarrassed, having been so vulnerable.

"You don't need to be sorry, silly girl," he explained. "You don't have to always keep things to yourself and carry the weight on your own. It's okay to cry."

She gave him a sweet smile, chocolate eyes still puffy as they met his. "Thank you, Kyoya."

There it was again, just his name, no honorifics. He liked that very much.

"I really appreciate you coming here with me today. To be honest, I was dreading coming alone, but I never would have thought to ask you, I didn't want to be a bother. And the others would've been too much."

"Anytime. I'm here whenever you need me." He placed a kiss at the top of her head. She was too emotional right now, he didn't want to do too much and take advantage of her vulnerability, so he continued to not push his luck. He did get a rather pink reaction out of her though, cheeks flushed.

Some time after Haruhi reminisced stories of her mother from when she was a child with Kyoya, they left. On the way out, a small hand slipped into his, which surprised him.

"Sorry, I wasn't thinking," she mumbled, beginning to pull away.

He, of course, didn't allow that, his hold on her temporarily tightening. "It's alright. I don't mind at all if it makes you feel better."

She visibly relaxed then. "…It's comforting," she admitted.

He smiled at her pleasantly. "Then you can hold my hand as long as you'd like." _Or anytime, really. _

The two peacefully made their way back, hand-in-hand.

Back at the cemetery, a red-headed man, knelt next to his late wife's grave, having walked out from nearby trees. "That was close! It's a good thing I saw them coming up before I was spotted. Aren't they adorable, Kotoko? You'd really like that boy, I think… I felt bad telling Haruhi I couldn't come with her, but you and I both know how clueless she is when it comes to things like this… He really cares for her, I think, and I want her to realize her own feelings."

Ranka crossed his arms and pouted, "Now, don't you go telling me not to meddle, you saw how well that went." He then sighed. "Our little girl is growing up. Sometimes I won't be able to be here for her, and I want to know that she has someone else next to her to give her support when she's too stubborn to admit she needs it."

**.…**

**_Grumble._**

_If I just stay quiet maybe he won't notice._

**_Grumble grumble grumble._**

_I just need to make it home and I can make something simple. I don't need him doing anything else._

**_Groooooooowl._**

"…Haruhi?"

"I"m fine!" she immediately replied.

**_Grumble grumble._**

Kyoya refrained from laughing aloud. "Haruhi, why don't we stop and get some lunch?"

"It's alright, I can make something at home. We don't need to go to some fancy-schmancy place."

"We could go somewhere more… your taste, if you'd prefer."

She scoffed, "You wanna go to a commoner restaurant?"

He almost rolled his eyes. Almost. "There _is_ a limit to my vanity, you know."

Haruhi then mumbled under her breath what sounded like, "….._damn rich people_…"

**_GRUMBLE GRUMBLE._**

The girl sighed; apparently her feeble appetite the last few days had caught up to her. "…Fine, I know this nice little sushi place we can go. And I can pay for _myself."_

"You don't need to."

"I'm going to."

"Haruhi."

"Kyoya-senpai."

**…**

Later, he ended up paying her bill while she'd slipped away to the restroom.

_…Damn rich bastard._

* * *

**OH BOY, LEMME TELL YOU.**

**It's been tough to find the drive to write lately; not because I don't like it, I just had a bit of a slump. But you guys are extremely encouraging, and I get really happy when I see how much you all enjoy my stories :) I never ask for reviews because I don't want anyone to feel obligated to comment, but I want you to know that I appreciate all the support you guys have shown, and I read everything over and over :3**

**Ya girl now has two jobs, and I'm halfway through college! :D The struggle's been real, but I'm glad I was able to finally sit down and find it in me to write again. Whenever I feel down, my motivation goes out the window, but like I said before, you guys have been extremely encouraging and kind, so thank you. I hope you enjoyed this chapter; I'm already planning out the next :P This has me excited to write again so I'm gonna keep going while I'm feeling up!**

**I ALWAYS worry about being too OOC, since I know that the characters have to develop as they start feelin' all lovey and stuff but I will try not to fret too much; you guys always assure me that it isn't, so I'm probably just being a worry-wart. As always. xD**

**I appreciate you guys. Thank you for being so understanding and patient with me. I hope you've all had a safe summer, and for those going back to school, whatever grade or year, WE GOT THIS, LET'S KICK THIS SEMESTER'S BUTT! YEAH! :D**

**-KC**


	7. Chapter 7

The day was going well enough, the clubroom mostly quiet now that they had closed for the afternoon. One of the hosts had decided to take advantage of the time before having to do chores, settled in a corner with her bag and books.

"Whatcha reading, Haru-chan~?"

"I'm studying for the tests coming up. Right now I'm going over history, then I'll move on to math."

"Oh," the small blond replied as he continued to peek at her textbook. "Mind if Usa-chan and I join you~?"

Haruhi looked up from the page she was on and smiled kindly at the small upperclassman. "Not at all, feel free. But I won't be the best company since I'll just be going over notes for a while."

"That's alright! That's what snack time is for~" Huni bounced off to grab a slice of strawberry shortcake and sat himself across from the brunette.

…And then some time passed, a few events took place, and Haruhi realized that this was not the place to get anything done. Her frustration was piling on, and soon enough she was bound to snap.

_Oh, I get it. If I were to then use the quadratic equation and find the square root of variable x, then the answer would be the-_

"_Haaaaruhiiiiii~_"

The girl's pencil lead snapped and her eye may have twitched a bit as two pairs of arms wrapped around her.

"We're bored," Kaoru groaned.

Hikaru smiled mischievously. "Entertain us?"

She counted to twelve in her head, because ten wouldn't be enough. "I have been trying to study for the past _hour_. If you _don't mind_, could you _please_ find somewhere else to screw around?"

"But you study all the time. You'll be fine if you don't this once. You always get the top score anyway," he waved off.

"Because I _study_. Some of us kinda rely on our grades to stay in this school, you know."

"By that you mean just you, right?" Kaoru leaned down to speak quietly to the girl, as if telling a secret. "Because you're the only commoner in the school."

The natural host slammed her book shut, stood abruptly, and began walking away.

"Haruhi, where are you going?" Tamaki asked curiously.

"Somewhere I won't be bothered so I can actually get some work done."

"_Can we co-_"

She glared over her shoulder, "You follow me and you will never see me outside of this campus again."

The twins and the king froze mid-step, scared to pursue then. "O-O…kay…."

She closed the door roughly behind her, belongings in her bag that was thrown over her shoulder, and Tamaki immediately ran to the table at the back of the room. "MOMMA! HARUHI IS ANGRY WITH US!"

"Perhaps you all should've left her alone so she could study?" Kyoya suggested, brow raised. "Exams are coming up, you know."

"_We weren't that bad."_

"Well, the two of you did continuously poke at her for a full twenty minutes, Huni-senpai did spill tea all over her essay, which she then had to rewrite, and Tamaki, you kept asking her to dress up for you."

"B-But we were quiet weren't we?" Tamaki cried.

"Yes… Until you three started arguing about what dress she should try on, which was approximately seven minutes after she first pulled out her notes."

"I still feel so bad for making a mess all over Haru-chan's homework!" Huni teared up, squeezing his beloved bunny. "I offered her the rest of my strawberries to say sorry, but she wouldn't take them."

"She needs to be left alone," Mori explained to the small host. "She'll forgive you later, Mitsukuni."

"You could probably talk to her, Mori-senpai, she never gets mad at you," Hikaru pointed out, then shrugged. "Couldn't hurt at least, since it's not like she'd get more pissed off with you apologizing for us."

"Or Kyoya-senpai for that matter," Kaoru added. "You're the Shadow King after all, you could do something."

"_Or_ you could apologize whenever she cools off," the young Ootori replied. Thinking back to the afternoons they'd spent together, he wasn't so sure Haruhi was intimidated by the "Shadow King", and he began smiling a tad as he thought of a wonderful idea. He hadn't even bothered listening to whatever the others were saying to him, focused on this new plan of action.

Kaoru waved a hand in front of the vice president. "Uhhh… Earth to Kyoya?"

"Why're you happy all of a sudden?" Hikaru asked, both twins perplexed. "It's kinda creepy when you start smirking."

The cool host cleared his throat and stood, beginning to pack away his laptop. "Hikaru, Kaoru, Tamaki, you three can take over the cleaning duties for today since you made Haruhi storm off and she has her own work to do. Mori-senpai, I'm entrusting you with the spare clubroom key so that you all can lock the doors once you finish. You can return the key tomorrow when I see you."

"You're going home too, Kyo-chan?" Huni wondered.

Kyoya ignored the groans from the redheads and the teary, fatherly apologies the club king was spouting off to Haruhi, as if she could hear him from the heavens. "I have my own errands to run."

**…**

_Let's see… We can safely cross off the libraries from the list since it's still too soon after dismissal for those crowds to have dwindled. The courtyard? No, too many female students around to come along and disrupt her. She very well may have gone home, assuming that the troublesome three took her threat seriously. I can always call Ran-_

Through the hall window, Kyoya caught a blur of light blue down in the gardens that appeared to be entering the rose maze. His thought process was interrupted as he realized another spot the girl he was looking for may have retreated to.

He made his way down, being polite and responding to any greetings he received from students that he passed by. There were less classmates as he approached the further grounds, entering the floral archway that he'd seen the blue blazer walk through minutes prior. There was a good chance that Haruhi wasn't here at all, but even so, Kyoya felt that there was no harm in checking as he rounded another corner of the maze, sighting that familiar blue jacket half hanging from the table of the hidden gazebo.

Sure enough, the natural host had claimed the land, study material sprawled out on the tabletop, her white sleeves rolled up with her coat laying beside her. She was so focused that she hadn't even noticed him walk up, now leaning against the pillar before her with his arms crossed as he mused at the thought of how easy it would be to startle her.

Considering how frustrated she'd been earlier, he decided against that.

"Seems like you found yourself a nice little quiet place," he commented, breaking the silence to alert her of his presence.

Haruhi allowed her gaze to break from the object of her focus, an obvious look of relief in her expression that there wasn't anyone else that had found her. "I couldn't think of anywhere else that might be empty, and I wasn't sure if my house would be a safe bet or not."

"Ah yes, the odds of the others popping in aren't the most favorable," Kyoya nodded as he sat across from her, placing his own bag down, which she didn't seem to mind. "You know, there is one place you could safely study without worrying about intrusion."

Haruhi raised a brow, her eyes already back on her notes from the moment she'd seen it was only him. "And where might that be?"

"The Ootori estate," Kyoya replied simply. "The others know better than to harass the Shadow King. Besides, they'd never assume you'd be there."

This had Haruhi bring her eyes up to him once again, now with a look of surprise at the sudden suggestion. "You're inviting me over to study, Kyoya-senpai?"

"Your grades are important, and I'm not going to let you use the host club being too much of a distraction as an excuse to quit the club."

Haruhi scoffed,"Ahh, so that's it. Don't wanna lose club profit, huh?" She had a teasing tone as she joked with him.

"This seems like a simple solution to your dilemma. Is it not?" He had that hostly smile of his, the one that he put on when he wanted to subtly persuade guests or hint at an idea to Tamaki. The one that he wore to get his way. "Besides, having a police force is rather convenient when it comes to keeping others out, I would say."

"Well, yeah, I suppose you're right," Haruhi agreed. "But you don't have to go to such lengths on my behalf, Kyoya-senpai. Especially not when you've already helped me plenty in the past." She thought of the last few weeks, how often he already seemed to be around just when she needed it most. She couldn't think to ask for more.

"I wouldn't mind, I'd be working myself anyway," Kyoya explained. "It's just an idea, an open invitation should you find that you need it."

"And your family wouldn't mind either? Last I checked, I didn't have the most lovely conversation with your father at the fair."

Kyoya had his chin against his hand now, posture relaxed as he leaned against the table. "He's hardly home or outside of his study; I doubt he'd be bothered regardless. Tamaki's been over plenty of times, and most of those visits end with him running into maybe one of my siblings, if any of my family members."

The girl pondered for a moment. Honestly, it didn't seem like a bad idea. And Haruhi had to admit that it wasn't a way she _minded_ spending her day. She enjoyed their afternoons together, and to be fair it would be nice to have a weekend without impromptu visits that kept her from going to the store or finishing homework early in the day because of sudden plans and being dragged all over the place. With a minute more of thought, she shrugged. It was harmless, two friends spending the day together to study. Why not?

"Alright, I'll take you up on that sometime. I don't see how it could hurt."

Just what he wanted to hear. "How about this Saturday?"

"Sounds good." She smiled across at him warmly, an expression he returned.

"It's a date then," he replied casually, reaching over to remove a rose petal that had fallen into Haruhi's hair, fiddling with it between his fingers. She felt her cheeks warm slightly, clearing her throat as she ignored this and diverted her attention once again to the reason she'd come out to the gazebo in the first place.

Kyoya was very glad that he'd had this idea, and even though it was only a friendly invitation, he couldn't help but find satisfaction with how it had turned out.

* * *

**Hey howdy hey, everybody!**

**How are things? Good? Awesome! Glad to hear it :D I've been busy with my two jobs and college stuff, but all is going well and I wrote this while I was supposed to be paying attention to a biology lecture... (Still passed that quiz by the way so ayyyyyy :^) )**

**This chapter isn't as long because it's meant to lead more towards the next one. Setting things in motion, ya feel?**

**Ugh, I just love the idea of them not realizing how comfortable they're getting with ****each other. Like here, Kyoya doesn't even really think about the flower petal thing, he just does it. After having moments like the day of Kotoko's anniversary and the thunderstorm, these things feel more natural... I just ship them so hard, man. So dang hard. 3 ****I guess that would explain why I'm writing fanfic of them.**

**ANYWAYS, thank you so much for the support and encouragement; it really means a ton, and I hope that you at least enjoy this little bit as it feeds your imagination as to what may come next~**

**P.S. I hope anyone that was hit by Hurricane Matthew this week is safe and doing well. As a Floridian, I can say I was really fortunate to get by without much of the storm's impact. Hoping you guys had the same luck.**

**-KC**


	8. Chapter 8

Haruhi Fujioka walked down the sidewalk, approaching the (now familiar) large, iron gates. This was her third or forth visit to this residence, and today she'd succeeded in convincing her usual chauffer that she was fine making it on her own, having ridden to the nearest station, which was more up her alley than being escorted by limo.

She recalled her first visit, surprised to find Tachibana at her apartment door the moment she'd opened it.

_"I've been instructed to drive you today, Miss Fujioka."_

_"Oh. Uh, thank you, you didn't have to do that."_

_The older man smiled kindly. "It's not a bother at all, Miss. Allow me," he held his arm out for her to take as they walked down the stairs to the limousine awaiting her, also insisting on carrying her bag of books, plenty of her neighbors poking their heads out to see if one of her "handsome friends" had stopped by. Most of the older ladies liked to come out and greet them when they did, not to her surprise._

_After being lead to the car and a fairly peaceful car ride, the looming mansion was finally in view. The home was a clean white, modern looking, and much like most things that those "rich bastards" had or did, it was far too big for Haruhi's tastes, but she couldn't deny that it was a nice looking place. At least the décor was fairly simple. Well, as "simple" as you could be for such an affluent residence._

_The iron gates that lead to the front driveway opened automatically, Tachibana pulling up to the steps and swiftly making his way around the car to get the young lady's door, probably aware that she was going to try opening it herself. She wasn't the type that wanted to be waited on, after all._

_Up close, the mansion seemed a bit more intimidating all of a sudden as Haruhi recalled the Ouran fair and Yoshio Ootori's not-so-pleasant attitude. Quickly, she shook her head and shrugged it off, reminding herself that he probably wouldn't even be there, and that when it came down to it, he was just a stubborn old man… with a private police force._

Back to the present, Haruhi checked her watch before pressing the button on the intercom next to the gate. 11:00a.m. She was right on time. "Hello?"

"Miss Fujioka?"

"Yes."

"Welcome back. Please make your way inside."

She did as she was told, approaching the large front doors at her own leisure, bag over her shoulder.

It was true, she hadn't even seen the Ootori patriarch during that first visit. She _had_ run into a different relative, however.

_Tachibana walked her up and brought her in, a maid immediately noticing their guest. "Oh! You must be Miss Fujioka!" She smiled and curtsied in greeting._

_"Please let young master Kyoya know that his guest has arrived," Haruhi's escort instructed._

_The maid nodded, throwing another sweet smile towards the girl, "I'll fetch him right away."_

_"Is that a young lady?" It was a woman's voice that Haruhi had never heard before now._

_"Yes, ma'am, she's Kyoya-sama's guest," the maid bowed respectfully as she explained to the beautiful woman that was entering the room._

_"KYOYA'S?! He brought a GIRL over?!" The raven-haired woman seemed very excited now, practically bouncing over. "You must be Haruhi Fujioka then! I'm Fuyumi, Kyoya's older sister! It's so nice to meet you!" She spoke quickly, taking hold of Haruhi's hands as if she'd just run into a long lost friend."_

_"It's nice to meet you too. I hadn't realized Kyoya-senpai had a sister," she greeted politely._ Who does she remind me of? _The natural host thought to herself. _She's so bubbly…

_"-grab lunch and maybe we could go shopping together later! Kyoya can be such a stick in the mud sometimes, but of course you probably already knew that." Fuyumi had still been talking all this time, (Haruhi wondered if she'd stopped to breath at all), and now she was laughing._

That's it_. Haruhi realized_. She's like Tamaki-senpai.

_"Fuyumi, please don't harass the poor girl the moment she walks through the doors."_

_She turned to look at the figure now walking down the stairs and crossed her arms. "Now, now, I was only introducing myself. You didn't tell me you had a lady coming over, I would've made sure I didn't have plans for today so I could treat her to a nice girl's day out."_

_"We're studying."_

_"Ugh, you're so boring sometimes," she waved off, turning back towards their guest. "Just give me a call if he ends up giving you a hard time, Haruhi~ Hopefully next time we can have more of a talk, but I have to meet my husband for lunch. It's nice to finally meet you~"_

Haruhi smiled at the memory. The second time she'd visited, Fuyumi had made a huge mess in the kitchen, trying to make lunch before she arrived against the pleas of the kitchen staff once she'd heard that she was coming by again. The brunette had ended up spending an hour helping her tidy up and finish the stew she was trying to make, insisting that she didn't mind as the cooks tried stepping in. Kyoya's sister was very kind, and at least you could say she'd tried.

Before Haruhi had brought her hand up to knock on the door, the entryway opened up.

"Welcome, Miss Haruhi," one of the maids, Akane, greeted. Haruhi had insisted she didn't need to be addressed so formally, but most of the staff still added some sort of honorific. "Kyoya-sama is in his room. Would you like for me to get him for you?"

She shook her head with a small smile. "Nah, you can just let him know I'm here and I'll just wait for him in the study if that's alright."

"Certainly! I'll bring up some tea and snacks shortly."

After saying thank you, Haruhi began making her way up the steps and down the hall, recalling where the study was. Kyoya had given her a tour of the house during her first visit, and was grateful that the layout was fairly simple. There really weren't any family photos or the like hanging up anywhere, just artwork every so often.

_Haruhi had stopped in front of a certain painting. It stood out from the rest of what she'd seen in the house. This floral piece was much more colorful, pretty. Most of the others had been modern, abstract, or simple landscapes and portraits, but this was bright and warm._

_"Something caught your eye?" Her companion had paused and looked back to see why she was no longer beside him._

_"This one is different."_

_"The painting? Is that a bad thing?"_

_"No. I think I like this one the most."_

_At that, Kyoya stifled a chuckle._

_"Something funny?" she raised a brow._

_He cleared his throat. "No, not particularly. It's just that this piece is by the least renowned artist of all the pieces we own."_

_"So? Is that supposed to mean it isn't as good as the others?"_

_"No, not exactly… I just find it funny as all. This was done by someone in the family."_

_"Someone in your family was able to make this?" She supposed she shouldn't be too surprised, considering who the Ootori's were. "Who made it?"_

_Kyoya seemed very nonchalant as he spoke. "I have my hobbies."_

_She froze. "_You _painted this?"_

_"Is that really so hard to believe? How flattering."_

_"It's not that, it's just that I never would've pegged you as the artistic type, Kyoya-senpai," Haruhi explained._

_"What can I say?" He adjusted his glasses. "I'm full of surprises."_

_"Uh huh," she replied in a purposefully deadpan tone._

Back to the present, the girl plopped down on the couch in the study, setting up by pulling out her materials and placing them on the coffee table in front of her. "Alright… Chemistry or English to start off…"

Moments later, the doors opened, and Kyoya entered. His hair looked slightly damp, but he was otherwise well put together as always.

"Taking a shower this late?" Haruhi smiled slyly. "You overslept, didn't you?"

He ignored her assumption, which may or may not have been true. He'd apparently been especially grumpy this morning when the maids had tried waking him, so they left him to sleep in a bit, but that was on him for staying up until 3am to get work done. "If you're working on English I have my notes from last year that I took before the finals if you'd like to look them over. Remind me later and I'll find them before you leave today."

"Thanks, that'd be nice," she replied, still noting that he didn't respond to her. She decided not to bug him for now.

He sat beside her on the couch, his laptop in hand, and the pleasant smell of fresh soap and cologne wafted through the air, answering her question from before regardless.

After Haruhi coming by a few times, they slipped into their usual peaceful companionship easily, making friendly conversation as they worked. The maids or Tachibana would pop in every so often, bringing tea or simply checking to see if anything was needed. At some point the ladies brought in lunch for the two and they took a break from studying, deciding it might be a good idea to take a walk in the gardens, since that was one of the few places Haruhi had yet to have been.

As the two perused the flowers to stretch their legs, having been in the study for a few hours at this point, an older, spectacled man watched from his own personal office. "Tachibana."

"Yes, Ootori-sama?"

"I want you to deliver a simple message for me."

"And what might that be, sir?"

"Tell the kitchen staff that we'll be having an extra for dinner."

Tachibana immediately understood the meaning behind this and ever-so-slightly smiled.

**…**

The time was now 6:45p.m. Kyoya was in his room, sifting through old papers and classwork he'd deemed to potentially be useful that he'd kept neatly organized in a binder on his shelf. He figured he might as well grab a few things Haruhi might find handy since he'd been looking for a couple things for himself.

Normally, Haruhi's visits hadn't lasted this long, but there were a few big exams coming up and the last handful of weekends had been filled with club events or group outings, so they had some catching up to do in terms of preparation.

Not that he had any complaints as he began walking back to the room the girl was residing.

"Haruhi, I found some of my old notes from when I took your english cla-" Kyoya paused as he reentered the room, an unusual sight baffling him. Haruhi's textbook had slid down off her lap, legs still crossed as she sat on the floor, head now tilted back slightly as it rested on the couch she'd been leaning on, eyes shut as she breathed lightly, appearing to have drifted off. _I suppose we have been pushing her a bit hard in the club as of late. She must be staying up at night to stay on top of her studies._

Quietly, he approached the girl, recalling the time or two she'd caught him dozing, which he never did around anyone other than Tamaki unless it was right after the club barged into his room and tried waking him up. He'd awoken to his glasses folded on the table, page marked in the book he'd been reading, blanket placed over his shoulders as the brunette continued working. Returning the favor, he placed the pen that was slipping from her grasp inside the book to keep her place as he closed it and set it aside.

Up close like this, her expression looked softer than usual, no hint of sarcasm, no defensive behaviors in place as she'd always put up around most of the club members to deflect their shenanigans. Just peacefulness and calm were evident in her features as she let out gentle breaths.

Kyoya, drawn to the sleeping girl, carefully reached a hand to her face, hesitating just before making contact, deciding instead to merely brush stray locks from her eyes. _I'm only admiring… There's nothing wrong with that… _Delicately, he allowed his fingertips to trace her jawline, to barely brush her lips as he decided to pull away before he did anything reckless or rash.

But then she stirred and he froze, her head tilted just slightly to the side now as she'd unconsciously made herself more comfortable. He was leaning in so close to her, closer than he'd ever be able to when she were awake. He, Kyoya Ootori, felt the beating in his chest grow significantly stronger. He glanced down at those soft pink lips that were just _so close_. But who was to say that it wasn't too soon? Who was to say that she wouldn't wake up and immediately reject him because of his forwardness? Who was to say that acting on this desire wouldn't ruin what they already had?

There were very few things that brought fear to the raven-haired "Shadow King", but that right there was one of them. Reluctantly, he opted instead to leave her with a short kiss on her forehead, smiling warmly as he saw that her expression remained relatively undisturbed.

And then his phone went off.

The natural host flew up into a sitting position, startled awake, which resulted in the two hosts roughly bonking heads, hands flying up to the now tender spots after exclaims of surprise and pain.

Kyoya tore the cell from his pocket and glared at the caller I.D as he adjusted his now disheveled frames. So much for _not_ disturbing Haruhi. "_What do you want?"_

"MOMMA OUR BELOVED DAUGHTER IS MISSING! THE TWINS AND I WANTED TO SURPRISE HER BUT SHE'S NOT HOME AND RANKA SAID SHE WAS OUT BUT HE DIDN'T TELL US WHERE AND WE'VE BEEN LOOKING EVERYWHERE AND-"

The panicked shouting didn't help Kyoya's now sore head. You'd have thought the blond was on speaker. Haruhi's face clearly showed her gratitude towards her father not giving away where she was. Of course, he was grateful too, not wanting them to come barging in on one of the few chances he had to spend time with the girl himself.

"Tamaki, she probably didn't say because she didn't want you pestering her for at least one day. I'm sure she's fine."

"B-But aren't you worried?! OUR LITTLE GIRL IS OUT THERE SOMEWHERE KYOYA!"

At this, Kyoya stifled a chuckle, seeing as he was looking right at the "missing" girl. Even she appeared more amused than irritated at this point.

"Tamaki, she's fine. Go home."

"Nonsense! We're coming over to get you after Huni and Mori-senpai so we can all-"

"_Do not come to my house or I will personally make sure we have private officers stationed to shove you back into your car and drive you home._"

"B-But-"

"Tamaki, I have work to do. Leave the poor girl be for one day."

With the exclaims of discontent still going off, Kyoya ended the call and tossed his phone away after onto the couch, but not before silencing it. He sighed heavily and returned his attention to Haruhi, who was still rubbing at the red spot on her head. "Sorry about that. I was trying not to wake you, but that clearly didn't work out."

"It's alright, I shouldn't have fallen asleep in the first place. Sorry to have slammed into you like that," she sheepishly responded. "Although, Kyoya-senpai, why were…" Her cheeks warmed, betraying her attempt to remain indifferent. "Never mind, and don't worry about waking me. I'm supposed to be getting work done anyway," she laughed almost nervously.

_Terrible at lying as always. _"If you were wondering why I was so close, I saw that you were sleeping and wanted to make sure a fly hadn't flown into your mouth. It was pretty wide open. You were also snoring pretty loudly."

"W-What?! No way!" She was bright red.

"It's fine, you don't have to believe me. I'm just surprised you didn't drool to top it all off," Kyoya grinned. He got too much pleasure out of teasing the girl.

"Oh, shut up!" the girl laughed, playfully shoving him as she realized he was joking. "I'm totally a peaceful sleeper."

The young Ootori shrugged. "Whatever you say, Sleeping Beauty."

"Haha, very funny." Haruhi rolled her eyes as she smiled softly. She wasn't always _that_ dense. She'd noticed his presence and had begun waking up before that phone rang. She touched the tender spot on her forehead once more, wondering if what she had felt really was what she thought it was.

"Does it hurt?"

Kyoya interrupted her thought and was staring at the red mark on her head, his brows furrowed a bit. He must've been worried.

"Nah, it's fading away, I'll be alright," she reassured. She then cleared her throat and reopened her book, trying to shake the last of those thoughts. "Anyways, we should probably get back to what we were doing before the motley crew _does_ show up and interrupt."

"Right," her companion agreed, plopping a notebook next to her. "I found those notes I'd mentioned earlier, by the way, in case you were interested in looking them over."

"Thanks," she smiled. "Having to sit between Hikaru and Kaoru during class sometimes has it's drawbacks; those two are masters at being distracting."

"Oh, I understand that plenty. I sit behind none other than our beloved king half the time."

"I almost feel bad for not telling him where I am. He seemed genuinely worried."

"But then you realize what would happen if he knew, I'm sure."

"Yeah, then I suddenly feel like making him wonder for weeks and I'm really glad that my dad can keep his mouth shut… Being able to threaten them with the Ootori police force is definitely another perk."

"Yes, well, they know better than to test my patience to the point of snapping. He's already woken me two times this week. Pushing me a third time would be far from pleasant." He had that innocent smile as he spoke, like the kind he wore when pretending not to have ulterior motives when presenting merchandise to the guests.

"_Mmmhm_."

There was a knock on the door then, breaking their conversation. "Enter."

"Miss Fujioka, Ootori-sama has requested that you stay for dinner, which will be served at 8 o'clock tonight."

"Father did?" Kyoya questioned, brows raised.

Tachibana nodded. "Is that fine, Miss Fujioka?"

_Somehow I don't think I actually have an option if Yoshio Ootori is the one sending the invite… _"Yeah, if it's alright I suppose I'll stay for dinner." She responded politely, a little confused by the sudden request.

"Excellent, I'll inform him that you'll be staying."

As quickly as he'd entered, he was gone, and it was just the two high schoolers left in the room once again.

"You don't think I did something to bug him, do you?" Haruhi warily wondered.

Kyoya shook his head. "Not as far as I know of. I'm just as surprised in all honesty. I figured that we'd just have dinner in here when the time came since it's not as though my family usually has meals together, everyone having their own schedule and what-not. It might just be due to the fact that he hasn't seen you any of the last few times you've been here. Regardless, I don't see any reason to worry over it."

She shrugged. "If you say so."

"Just be sure to be on your best behavior," Kyoya wisecracked, nudging the girl with his elbow.

"Oh yeah, because _I'm_ _such_ a troublemaker," she quipped.

Neither of them said it, but both wondered what could possibly be the patriarchs motives. At the same time, the person in question was pleased, preparing to make an important phone call to a future accomplice.

* * *

**Ayyyyyyyyyyyyyy, how are you lovelies today?**

**Two chapters in what, the same month? What in the world is going on? It's almost like I've got my shiznit together! :^)**

**Nah, you guys are just very kind and it makes me want to write more for you :3 And I've also noticed that I do the most writing when I'm supposed to be doing a research paper because I really don't want to write said research paper. :P**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and whatever else I put out :) Thank you for sticking around with me for so long and expressing how you feel about the story or giving me a kind word in regards to whatever's goin' on. It makes me incredibly happy when I see how much you guys like this or whenever you take the time out of your day to wish me well :3**

**Thank you tons for being so encouraging. **

**Now, time for a nap.  
**

**-KC**

**P.S. I hope you guys have a Happy Halloween when the time comes in case I don't update again by then. Stay safe and have fun if you do anything; for those that don't do anything for Halloween, I hope you still have a lovely night. :)**


End file.
